Secret Seeker
by RumorUnderOath
Summary: Ken is sent to another world and finds himself as a neko slave with an abusive master.His friends are trying to get him back. Ken's body is being physically injured by his dreams.Is this an accident? Or is there a new destiny that awaits him? :Edited Summ
1. Chapter 1

Hey all! Im rumor! And that's wat u can call me or u can use another nickname which is Ritsuka Chan but that is in fact longer so maybe u shouldn't…yeah…

Pairings: yet to be decided ken/?

Summery: something has gone wrong in the digital world the digimon feel something but don't know what it is and strangely enough all the other digimon have all but disappeared. Are kens dreams the key to finding the problem and stopping it? Or is this even bigger than it first appeared?

**Secret Seeker**

Ken Ichijoji woke up in a start his body was covered in sweat and a scream was caught in his throat, he sat up slowly trying not to wake his partner Wormon. The little green digimon slept peacefully, blissfully unaware of the dark haired boys distress.

Ken slowly wiped the sweat off of his brow with a shaky hand and slowly (as to not lose his balance) climbed down off of his loft type bed. His feet landed on soft carpet that looked gray in the dark. In fact the entire room took on a gray tone in the moon light that barely lit the room through light shades

His feet made almost no noise as he made his way to his neatly kept desk to retrieve the desired item and a pen with his older brother's name engraved in it. He had rescued it after the Kaiser episode when he desperately wanted to remember his elder brother. He now kept it as a prized possession and only used it for important things such as what he was writing now in a small blue note book private written on the cover in several languages he began to write:

**_I had the dream again it frightens me that I can not remember what happens _**

**_Exactly, but I feel the after affects now more than before, the pain in my neck has grown outrageously Im also getting migraines and pains in other random places. Or maybe not so random… But back to the dream, its similar to the others in almost all aspects but Im remembering more and more now I find myself running through a forest something is chasing me, but I don't feel that it is human, or even a monster, no Im sure that it is neither however I know that it is a threat…I then find myself at an ocean, I can only assume that it is the dark ocean but it is different somehow, its larger foe one thing, and it is more menacing…like its been waiting for me. I then hear laughter and a sharp pain starts in my neck and moves through my entire body I find myself down on the sand, its cold. The moon was out but it was also cold and the laughter continues its sounds so familiar. That is where I have either woken up in the past or I haven't been able to recall what had transpired after that point. I have remembered more this time. The laughter stops and a cold wind blows. Every thing here is cold and grey, wet but then again it isn't…you can't describe it because it contradicts itself it's like a never ending pool of confusion. Then a voice speaks to me.Iit speaks a name one I don't recognize but I believe I should. It chills me to the bone just remembering the voice, it was so dark and dead, the name? Rune Kaimi. He says I will meet him very soon. That's most freighting of all._**

The next morning Ken awoke to his partners nagging, Ken barely made out what he said but it was something along the lines of 'we'll be cake' or something.

"We'll be late Ken Chan! Please get up now!" the little creature whined. Ken stirred

"What time is it Wormon?"

"About eleven thirty Ken." Ken quickly jumped out of bed vaguely noticing the dream journal now sitting peacefully on his desk never betraying the secrets it held... Ken jumped in the shower and turned the knob to cold, trying to wake himself up. After five minutes he got out and slinked down the hall to his room. He put on (to Davis's prompting) jeans and a tight black long sleeved shirt. The pants were a little big…they were Usamu's. Was he really that much bigger? "_Oh well"_ he thought and tied a black belt around his waist "_note to self go and buy jeans that fit."_

Ken now fully dressed grabbed wormon and his back pack and slung it on his back. He greeted his mother on his way out and grabbed a piece of toast. "_This is why these jeans don't fit" _he thought as he munched on it in the elevator going down from his apartment.

He was going to meet Davis and the other digidestined in the park about halfway between their houses. Ken sighed. He knew he was late. Yolie and/or Cody would chew his butt off.

"Hey ken where have you been?" A tall girl with long violet hair asked clearly annoyed with Kens new habit of being late.

"Sorry I slept in…" Ken said sheepishly

"You've been hanging around Davis to much." She mumbled. "But I like how you dressed today"

"You can thank Davis for that." Ken said with a playful smirk.

"Someone talking about me?" Speak of the devil.

"Hey Davis!" Kari said. The others followed suite.

Eventually Izzi, and Tai showed and they went to a secluded spot in the park and used Izzi's laptop to go to the digital world Tai stayed behind to keep Izzi Company

**In the digital world**

The digidestined were all in the digital world for a picnic. Cody the youngest in the troupe brought the healthy food, (also being the most responsible.) like carrots, and apples. Davis, the hard headed leader brought the drinks. He had Mt. Dew and Pepsi and Cola. Tk and Kari the two veterans in the group, had both brought chips, and other junky snacks of that same sort like Doritos, and corn chips, and chex mix. Yolie the girl who had yelled at ken before had brought sand which fixings and potato salad .Davis once again mentioned longingly that he wished his family was in the food business like Yolie's. Ken had brought the cookies he and his mom had made the night before (their cookies were always a hit) and had in his backpack.

They sat eating the food and talking, no one noticing the lack in digimon begging for food or simply the lack of them all together. Ken and Kari noticed that none of their own partners were eating as much as they normally would. This made the two of them uneasy and they, in turn, didn't eat as much either.

The picnic otherwise went very uneventfully, with them simply eating, talking, and the occasional fights between Tk and Davis (Davis misspelled Tk's name) or Davis and Yolie. (No one knows the origin of the fight, not even Yolie and Davis)

They all went home Ken taking his precious time as he went. Something had been wrong in the digital world. He could feel it, and by the tenseness he felt in his partner he knew he wasn't the only one who felt it.

A/n so wat did u think? Good bad? Please R and R. flames are ok in my book so long as they will help me improve.

Rumor out!


	2. chapter 2

**Secret seeker**

_I'm running…the forest is beautiful but I don't notice that right now, I trip over a root sticking up out of the ground and cut my leg. What ever is chasing me is coming closer, I can almost feel the heavy breathing I hear behind me, or is that me? Its sounds so foreign… I see a clearing, its black, I hear the sounds of water. The breathing has all but disappeared the laughing begins, its familiar, the hairs on the back of my neck prick in anticipation of the pain soon to come. A cold wind blows. I feel hot breath on my neck, I whirl around I see no one.Iit happens again, I look again, I still see nothing, cold laughter comes once again I scream the pain in my neck has come. Im almost used to it. I calm down enough to stop screaming only to feel the breath again, it says in a dead voice 'we'll see you soon Rune Kaimi." Something new. I feel a pressure on the back of my head It pushes me toward the water. I see my reflection. Im afraid this isn't me I don't have ears like this why are there little black wings on my back? My hair isn't that dark. The most terifiieing thing is I see no one above, absolutely nothing. But I feel a hand there. The laughing begins again its pushing me in the water. I'm drowning…_

Ken awoke in a start and screamed, instantly bringing his partner to his side.

"Whats wrong? Ken?" wormon asked

The back of Kens neck was burning more than it did in his dream. And now there was a new pain his leg that was killing him. He pointed to it. Wormon pulled the covers off and examined it. There was blood all over the grey pajamas. Wormon gasped. Ken looked at his alarm wondering where his parents were. Eleven. It was Sunday, their breakfast date day '_my luck never ceases to amaze me…'_wormon helped Ken out of bed and to the bathroom. He took off his pants and inspected it closer I seemed identical to the cut he'd received during his dream, but that was impossible right? Ken was no longer so sure. Just then he heard a beeping in his bedroom wormon looked and said that there was an urgent message from the digidestined. The digi-world was in danger. Naturally.

Ken and wormon made quick work of tying the exceptionally large cut and stopping the blood but Ken still limped and winced when he walked. Still after cleaning the mess leaving a note for his parents he left for Izzi's house.

Upon arriving he was once again reprimanded for being late. Ken couldn't help it he was an injured man not to mention he had a killer head and neck ache, but of course he mentioned neither.

"I haven't gotten anything back from Genni as of the emergency, but I guess you'll find out once you get there huh?" Ken wondered if that was Izzi's lame idea of a joke.

"Digiport open!" the group shouted. The light of the portal taking them to the other world engulfed them and they were gone.

**In the digital world**

"Ouch" seemed to be the thing to say as the young group of kids tried to untangle themselves from the pile they had formed at the end of the portal. Ken was on the bottom. He bit his lip to keep from crying out, Davis had landed on his leg.

"Sorry man" Davis said as he got off.

"Yeah…"

They looked around, they wondered why they had been called to the digiworld, there was no screaming digimon (a good sign) and a lack of evil laughs. The sky was blue and the grass was green. As it should be.

"Where's Genni? Didn't he say he would be here?" Yolie asked.

"Yeah…lets look around" Tk said.

"Hey who's the leader here Tm?" Davis asked.Tk rolled his eyes.

The group walked until they came up to some woods. "Good as anything" Yolie had said. The woods were dark with barely any sunlight coming through even though it was beautiful outside that day. Being in the woods almost made it seem possible for there to something wrong here on such a peaceful day.

"_Ken!" _Ken whirled and looked at Tk. Tk looked back with wondering blue eyes. "Every thing ok Ken?" the blond asked.

"Yeah just thought I heard something." Ken said and put on his trademark soft smile that normally said 'everything is fine with me.'

"_Ken! Run to me!" _ken didn't recognize the voice 'i**_t's none of the digidestined" _**"_ken!!!" _the voice screamed he felt a ghostly cold hand on his shoulder it squeezed. _'Aghhhhhhhhhh!' _it screamed again. The back of his neck was aching again. Ken looked into the woods on either side of himself the shadows seemed to come alive and slither towards him. He quickened his pace putting him at the head of the procession.

"Ken what's up?" Davis shouted more than a few steps behind.

The shadows also quickened their pace and latched on to Kens ankles. Ken whimpered. It felt like they were burning a hole through his pants to his leg. They slowly groped their way to his hips up his chest and latching onto his neck. One of the shadows bit him in the back of his neck. He screamed. The voice joined him. More of the shadows were coming. He saw light ahead and he ran toward it. The voice's scream raised a pitch. Ken clutched at his ears. The others ran after him unfazed by the scream. They didn't hear it. Wormon looked at him from his arms "Ken Chan?" wormon didn't see the offending shadows. Ken ran harder. He reached the clearing but didn't stop. His leg was on fire and ken was sure the bleeding had started once again. He kept running, the shadows didn't seem to like the light and were slowly disappearing. His injured leg gave out and he collapsed. Shielding wormon from the blow as he hit the ground. Ken lifted his head and saw it was good his leg gave out. There was a large cavern before him that he had not seen in his mad run. He would have fallen. Ken didn't think the shadows would have minded that much, in fact, they may have wanted that. He looked at his hand. It hurt. He must have landed on it. What he expected was a scrape what he saw was nothing. His hand wasn't there. He screamed once more giving his friends and extra boost in running after him. He passed out.

A/n so what do u think? R and R please!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three of secret seeker**

Ken awoke with a throbbing head ache. He pushed himself off of the soft silver-blue grass and his long dark back hair fell in his face. Back hair? He stood and saw what looked like a nearby creek and slowly walked to it almost as if he was a newborn learning to use his legs.

The creek was crystal clear he gaped at his reflection his hair was long and black far below his shoulders and his eyes were white or maybe silver. He no longer had ears on the sides of his head but on top in the shape of feline ears. He felt something brush against his leg he looked and saw a funny black appendage that appeared to be attached to his back side. He vaguely noticed a figure come up behind him.

"RuneKaimi? RK, are you all right?" The figure was a boy he looked about sixteen he had long curly light blond hair and azure colored eyes. He was wearing a black robe with a red and gold insignia on it.

"I repeat are you Ok?" he looked concerned.

"Who are you?" ken asked. Wondering why he was being referred to as RuneKaimi.

The boy stared at him. "Oh my gosh you passed out again didn't you?" it was more of a statement than a question.

"I don't know." Ken/ RuneKaimi answered truthfully.

"Did you wake up on the ground? And that's when you couldn't remember?"

"Yes" ken said

"I see…and you've been doing so well…"the boy mumbled to himself. "Well my name's Amissa. This has happened to you before." Amissa didn't explain anymore. Instead he started to pick up the contents of a spilled basket and put them back in. after that he said to help him get more of the type of berries that ken assumed he spilt.

The berries were strange they were black with little spikes jutting out on all sides. It grew on a red thorn bush. Kens unpracticed finger were often jabbed and cut because if the thorns however Amissa seemed to have no problem what so ever. After an hour of the painstaking work they stopped. The basket was full.

Amissa took ken or as he said RK down to the creek and washed RK's cuts then wrapped them in a long bandage that covered his entire hand. He did the same with the other side.

Amissa lead RuneKaimi down a path. They were barefooted but their feet didn't hurt. The path wasn't made of dirt but seemed to be like glass. The forest around was gold, the leaves the trunks everything. Birds of beautiful colors flew nearby and an albino deer crossed the path in front of them.

"Amissa! Rune!" a feminine voice shouted behind them. They turned. One happy the other confused.

Amissa smiled. It was a girl dressed similar to them but in a navy color and a gold insignia. She smiled she was tan with wild red hair and lake green eyes.

Rune/Ken looked at her uncertainly and pulled at Amissa's robes. Ken felt terrible he didn't know what was going on he didn't know where his was or if his name was ken or RuneKaimi. He didn't know what the little black berries were, they tasted good but beyond that he didn't know the forest was colored strangely and so was everything else. His body was different, and he couldn't get the nagging thought out of his head. '_Where are my friends?' _was he even in the digital world anymore? He wasn't sure.

"Amissa…" rune said quietly "who's she?"

The girl looked at rune and then at Amissa "it didn't happen again did it?" she asked

Amissa looked sad "yeah seems real bad this time, he doesn't remember a thing not even after giving him some food and water."

Ken was really beginning to wonder what this mysteries "it" was.

She looked at him smiling kindly. "My names Ina." She kissed him on the forehead. Rune jumped away and blushed. She looked worried. "He's turning red. He might have a fever. You should get him back home to Sayyid. He'll take care of RK he always does." Ina said and skipped off down the glass path.

Amissa and RuneKaimi continued to walk.

"Rune do you know what you are?" Amissa asked.

"Im not sure." Rune said eyes on the path.

"You are a hybrid. Designed to be a slave that can come here." Amissa motioned around at the forest.

"Im a slave?" Rune asked.

"Yes a very important one. Most masters can only afford one or two."

"Why is that?" he asked

"Only animals can breath the air here it's too pure, but only humans can resist going to the dark ocean to drink. So they mixed the two. You are a mix, a Hybrid." Amissa said

"Are you a Hybrid?" rune asked

"I am"

"Are you a slave?"

"I am"

"Do we have the same master?"

"We do"

"Are we going to him now?"

"We are."

"Will he hurt us?" Rune asked

Amissa looked at him; maybe rune wasn't as lost as he thought. "No we are too valuable to simply injure for no reason."

"I see. But he hurts others?"

Amissa sighed. Rune was never so concerned for others before. And his 'sickness' never affected him in this way. He wasn't sure he liked the change, in this world there was no room for compassion, Rune would be trampled if he didn't keep an eye on him. "He does when it's needed or he is angry..."

Rune looked down. "I don't think I'll like him…"

Amissa stared at him like he had just giving birth to a cow. He regained his composure and slapped rune. Rune cried out and fell to the ground. "You won't talk in such a way about our master." He began to walk away. _'Rune never had that kind of nerve before, never such blunt honesty, what happened to him.'_ Amissa heard sobbing coming from behind him. He turned. Rune was on the ground weeping. Holding his hand up to his injured cheek. Already forming a bruise on his pale cheek. "Get up Rune." He said harshly but felt bad for hurting him. Rune tried to get up but a leg gave out on him. He fell back to the ground.

Amissa sighed once again. Walked to Rune, picked him up and threw him over his shoulder. "Hold on to these." He said and handed the basket to rune. Amissa carried Rune threw the forest and in front of them there was a huge gate made out of marble and covered in vines. Blue green and purple grapes grew from the vines and there was an inscription on the outer edge on the arch. Amissa walked through and the scenery changed. They were now surrounded by fields and small huts the gate that they had just went through was now a dull grey stone with little well kept bushes on either side but no forest behind it.

"Where did the forest go?" rune asked from atop Amissa.

"We went through the portal; we are no longer in that world." Amissa explained simply.

"Oh" Rune said dumbfounded.

Amissa walked through the small village and a small field, up a large but not steep hill and Rune saw a large mansion made of stone marble. The roofing was a reddish brown and little gardens grew around it and beyond that there were fields every where. They walked through very large oak doors with carvings if ancient battles all over it.

Amissa set rune down making sure he could stand. Rune looked around. There was red carpet and beautiful hard wood floors, the steps were black marble. Amissa led the way up the long stairs up to the third level. They walked down a hall way richly adorned with paintings and sculptures. Other slaves worked on cleaning already clean chairs and shelves. Trying to look busy so they wouldn't be beaten. A slave tripped in front of them.

"Out of the way" Amissa commanded. The slave was a young malnourished boy with unruly brown hair. It seemed he lacked the strength to stand. Amissa was about to kick him out of the way (for it was inappropriate for one of higher class to step around a slave.) when rune quickly got in the way of his leg and picked the boy up. He also picked up the flowers the boy was carrying and gave them back. The boy looked shocked but took them anyway.

"Gomen!" he said and ran to where he was supposed to go. Not wanting to wait around to Rune to change his mind and kick him.

Amissa grabbed his arm and pulled him through some more corridors where they passed more slaves minding their own business and they came up to a door.

"You don't do that! Unless they are our class or higher up you don't help them don't look at them and don't let them talk to you! The underlings will lose their respect of you if you do!"

Rune nodded but mumbled something like "he was too weak to stand" and "he said he was sorry." Amissa paid no notice though. He straitened his and runes robes and said "you treat our master with the utmost respect don't even talk unless he speaks directly to you. Not o word on what just happened. Understand?"

Rune nodded once more and they walked in.

Runes head was bowed but he looked through the long black strands of hair to see a room made of black marble and red velvet. Sitting on a tall black throne was a well built, handsome man with black hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a rich black outfit with gold tassels and chains and multi colored jewels. He smiled at rune.

"Hello my dears!" he greeted. "Did you have a good hunt?" Amissa showed him the basket full on the strange black fruit.

"Rune, please bring that up to me." He said.

Runes cat ears flipped backwards in uncertainty, Amissa pushed him forward and gave him the basket. Rune took small steps forward shivering. This man frightened him, but he didn't know why. He should have but he didn't.

"What's the matter little one?" he asked as Rune handed him the basket. He set the basket down and held his arms out. Rune looked at them unsure of what to do.

"Come here." the man prompted. Rune walked closer. Still unsure.

The man looked at Amissa. "What's wrong with him?" he asked in quite a different tone than the one he used before with Rune.

"He collapsed while we were out he doesn't remember much… it's a lot worse than usual." Amissa explained.

"Aww, poor thing, no wonder you're scared. Come here and sit in my lap." He said once again gentle. "Amissa you are excused." Amissa left. Rune crawled up in the mans lap. The man smiled and stroked his hair and wrapped his heavy cloak around Rune's shivering form. "You do not remember me that is certain, so I shall introduce myself to you once more, my name is Sayyid but you must call me master when others are present." Sayyid said still petting Runes head, and to Runes disgust found that he was purring. Sayyid laughed well naturedly. "Not sure about my petting? Don't worry it will become natural soon." He held a piece of the black fruit to Runes lips. "Eat it." he obeyed.

Rune became more and more relaxed in the arms if his strong master. "So then Rune, do you like this world? Or should I ask Ken Ichijoji?" The man smiled maliciously.

R&R thank you!!

If u were confused about the name change here it is in a nut shell: kens new name is RuneKaimi he has two nick names: Rune (used most) and RK. Kaimi might be used more in the future.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 of secret seeker**

Rune gasped and backed away from Sayyid, falling off his lap in the process. Sayyid laughed.

"What's the matter little one? Are you afraid of me? Don't be." He said still smiling. Rune shivered.

"Cold? Come under the clock again it will keep you warm…" he tempted. Rune shook his head. "Come on." He prompted once more.

Rune regained some of his pride lost during the petting. "How do you know that name?" Rune shouted.

Sayyid stood Towering over Rune. Rune shrank back.

"How do I know? I know every thing that is you, you're my creation."

Rune shivered once again. "you've told me of your…_dreams_ I know who you think you are, but let me assure you this is real, not your little world of friends and kindly monsters, your no hero here Rune."

"You're wrong!" Rune/ken said voice quivering slightly. "This is a dream! I've had ones similar to this before, just wait ill wake up and you'll be no more than an unpleasant memory."

Sayyid roared with laughter. "A lovely speech little one, but, I can't have you defying me like this, it's inappropriate, and would be a bad example for the other slaves, now wouldn't it?" no answer. "Fine. Ill tell you what. Ill prove to you that this is no dream and get you to respect my wishes, killing two birds with one stone, see?" Rune didn't like the term killed at that moment.

"What are you planning?" rune asked.

"Little kaimi, what do you see over there?" rune looked. A whip. A brutal looking black leather whip with what looked like shards of glass and sharp stones; even I little bone jutting out at odd angles on the end. Rune felt his hands shaking, and also found he could do nothing to stop it.

"Bring it to me?" it didn't sound like a request. Yet, against better judgment Ken refused and stubbornly stayed put.

"Very feisty today, I shall enjoy breaking you once again young RuneKaimi. I always have. I don't think I shall ever get tired of it." Sayyid smiled evilly and got up and walked to the whip. He toyed with it while walking back towards Rune. He walked circles around him.

"You know ken, ill enjoy this." He brought the whip back and began to strike Rune. Rune's scream rang off the walls, and no one cared, after all, what's so strange about a delusional slave being beaten?

**Digital world**

"Ken!! Wake up dude!" Davis was the first of the destined to reach the fallen friend and was now proceeding to shake him and yell in his ear. This wasn't helping but Davis, being Davis, didn't realize. T.K. then stepped in.

"Davis stop. its not helping." He took Ken in his arms. Ken was paler than a ghost (not that he'd ever seen one) and mumbling something about dreams. The others had arrived shortly after Tk had but looked lost at what to do. That's when, in a flurry of noise a special television set (the Digidestined's way of getting home) appeared, and from it a young man with a brown ponytail and brown robes stepped. He looked around seeming as though he forgot what he was doing. Then his eyes caught sight of ken and he instantly remembered.

He walked over to ken and picked him up. The digidestined knew who he was.

"Genni do you know what's going on?" Kari asked.

"Yeah why did ken go nuts back there?" Davis inquired.

"Follow me" the old warrior said simply. They obliged know what ever was going on was serious. They went through the TV set and it then disappeared.

**Sayyid's mansion**

Rune awoke face first on cold rough stone. What was he doing on the ground? Oh yes, he remembered now. He was in a strange place with a new body a new name and a sadistic master. Yes he was a slave. As he slowly came to his senses, he recognized sharp pains in his back and he ached all over. Why? He was beaten, that's right, by his crazy master who knew about the digital world and his real name.

Rune tried to move but his body wouldn't let him, he screamed as he felt the wounds re-open undoing any healing he had while he had been resting, if you could call it that. He heard a noise to his left, was Sayyid back for more now that he knew his toy was once again awake. Rune shuddered at the thought.

"Rune! You're awake! Good!" Rune knew the voice to belong to his friend Amissa. He tried to look to his left but did nothing but moan as he once again upset the wounds close to his neck.

"Don't move ill get you out of here." He heard Amissa say and then blacked out.

When he awoke once more he felt much better. He heard amissa humming to himself as he bandaged Runes back and neck. Amissa rubbed a thick substance on one of the few unbandaged wounds. Rune whimpered. It stung terribly.

Amissa noticed the younger boy's distress and gently patted his head and sang louder. Rune found no comfort in the patting (as it reminded him of Sayyid) but thougholy enjoyed the music, amissa sang like a angel.

After a half an hour Amissa stopped singing and finished the bandages. He then helped Rune into new clothes and laid him in soft bed.

"Try to get some rest Rune I'll wake you in the morning" Amissa said. "And remember, your dreams are just that, dreams. Goodnight"

Rune couldn't sleep so he looked at his surroundings he was in a room that looked very rustic. Stone walls and floors and furs on the floor and bed he was lying on. There were also red gold and black tapestries on the wall with the insignia that was on his and Amissa's robe. He looked closer at it. It was of a magnificent black bird with red tipped feathers and a gold necklace with a red gem in it. There were two gold spears on it and (as said before) a red background. Ken shivered and pulled the fur up to his chin and fell into a fitful sleep.

Amissa sighed. He was glad his young friend had finally fallen to sleep. The beating was the usual but Rune was no longer used to it so he needed the rest. But Amissa wondered why he had once again forgotten everything and angered their master. Did something go wrong when they created Rune?

The next day Rune awoke with a very sore body but with no dreams. No dreams of the other world. Nothing.

At breakfast Amissa was busy at work cooking on an old fashioned stove cooking a strange looking plant that gave off a delicious smell.

"Amissa?" Rune asked sniffing. "You said I lost my memory right? Did I tell you anything about another world where they call me Ken?"

Amissa stiffened. Why ask that now? Hadn't he just been beaten for talking of such things? And if Sayyid were to find out….no doubt both he and Rune would be beaten.

"You have once or twice but they were only dreams."

"Who decided they were only dreams?" rune asked with genuine innocents.

Amissa sighed. "Sayyid did if you want to change that you'll have to go to him, but more than likely you'll just get beaten again."

Rune stiffened his face looked torn, both not wanting to get beaten but wanting to know about his 'dreams'. Truthfully Amissa wasn't sure that they were dreams but a slave was a slave, he obeyed his master's orders to all extents. He looked at Rune, still deep in thought carefully eating the food set before him. '_Maybe not to all extents…'_ Amissa thought.

"Hurry and eat we have to get to the gardens before high noon." Amissa informed while stuffing his own face with the strange but tasty food.

"The gardens?"

"Yes we were there yesterday."

"Oh yeah…"

They both finished their food and hurried off to the gardens to pick more of the strange fruit.

A/N well I wanted it to be longer today but I felt bad about not updating for so long….o well I hope you like it. Please review! I like all reviews with no swearing in them and I love corrective criticism. Thanks!

Rumor


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 **

In the digital world

The digidestined found themselves in a cozy room with a strange TV similar to the one they had just gone through. The walls were wood like in your grandparent's basement with pictures on the wall. Many of the people in the pictures couldn't be recognized except Genni and a humanoid digimon that looked familiar, how they did not yet know.

Genni set ken down on a soft bed near the fire and covered him with quilted covers, that seemed to stop his shivering. He then laid a cool wet rag over his forehead and undressed him. He was no longer mumbling.

"You seem to know what to do Genni" Cody said simply.

Genni looked at him "ive done this before, so I know what comforts him most."

The digidestined looked back at him "this has happened before?" they asked.

"It has you remember the great crater that Ken was passed out by?" they all nodded but Davis who was to busy panicking over ken to realize. "Well you see that's our problem, and Ken is gravely connected to what happens here." He lifted the covers to expose kens leg. The bleeding had stopped. Genni pulled off the bandage revealing the gnarled wound.

"This is the crater." He said as though expecting the digidestined to understand what he meant. Instead they looked at him like he had grown another head.

"What?" Davis's question asked what everyone else was thinking.

"Ken's body is directly connected to the digital world; he is the core, feeling the digiworld's pain because it, its self cannot. Though he is still suffering from amnesia, he remembers nothing of being the digital world's core.

"So what you're saying is that if something happens to the digital world he feels pain?" Kari asked hoping she had understood.

"Not only pain, but sorrow and darkness and joy. What ever the digital world and the majority of its inhabitants feel he feels also, in escensts he is the digital world in the flesh. More than likely he knew something was wrong with the digital world long before I or anyone else knew."

"So why didn't he say anything, this could have been prevented right? If we had known about it sooner?" T k asked.

"more than likely he knew, but didn't, what I mean is he felt something but because of his amnesia he wasn't sure what he felt. He did this in the past also before he lost his memory, he wouldn't say a word, maybe he thought there was nothing to worry about or maybe there was a higher purpose for keeping his mouth shut. I don't know, but I don't question him. It least I didn't…"

"So then how do we know if he even sensed anything, I mean maybe his power or whatever this is has been dampened by the whole Kaiser incident…" Yolie said sadly.

"In the past he first felt it in his dreams it is often in dreams that prophesy's came, so it is also the root of his power. And the 'Kaiser incident' as you call it did nothing to dampen his powers but is a display of them, the dark ocean as it has come to be called has only been corrupted for a short time when that happened ken was also corrupted, but ken as a core should have been pure. As he wasn't sure of what to do with his darkness, he did only what he knew to: follow his instinct, which was now corrupted. Therefore resulting in the Kaiser.

"So Ken is like some supernatural being here?!" Davis asked wondering how ken could have forgotten something like that.

"He isn't 'supernatural' well no more than you digidestined, he keeps this world running just like you do. He just doesn't know it, as fan as he knows right now he's just a normal digidestined." Genni informed.

"What's normal about being a digidestined?" Yolie muttered.

Then wormon spoke after being quiet the entire time "you said that dreams played a big part in his powers right? Well kens been having strange dreams lately, and he woke up with this cut, does this mean he's been sensing this for a while?" the little green digimon asked.

"Yes that sounds like it." Genni answered. "Did he tell you what he dreamt about? If he did that would help us find out what's causing this"

"No he didn't, he keeps things like this secret from me, from everyone no matter how much I tell him he should say something. But, he does kept a dream journal, maybe we can find out in there" wormon said.

"Where does he keep it?" Davis asked.

"in his room usually in his desk, I saw it out today and I don't think he put it back away…right now its probably on his desk." Wormon answered.

"I think you should go get it and bring it back here." Genni said.

The rest of the digidestined agreed.

Genni sent Davis and wormon through the special TV with the instructions to re-open the digiport and come back to the room that they had all gathered.

The two went through and found themselves on the floor of the cleanest room in Japan.

Davis thought the cleanest in the world.

Davis walked over to the desk quietly (so Ken's mom wouldn't know he was there.) and picked up something that looked suspiciously like a dairy. He picked it up and looked at the first page. He read in kens crisp clean handwriting

_I had a strange dream last night, at first it didn't seem different than any other nightmare but It change quickly I was running I don't know why but I feel as though if I slow down something bad will happen. I can feel it, the darkness fells as though it's alive and will swallow me. Im terrified. I call for help but no one comes. I feel horrible pain all over my body. I collapse, and then….I hear a voice laughing at me, its enjoying me pain, I think it's the one inflicting it. I scream back and that only makes it laugh harder. The pain grows, and I pass out. When I awoke, I could still feel the remnants of the pain in the dream. Im scared, it's never felt so real…_

Davis shivered at his friends words. He looked at the date. Over a month ago…the day the girls had dragged them to the mall for four hours, and he thought that was a nightmare, why didn't ken think he could trust them, hadn't they been friends for over a year?

"We should go kens mother could come in any time." Wormon said. Davis nodded and they went through the digiport.

They found themselves once again in the cozy room. They were all sitting quietly with the occasional whisper which was quickly shushed.

Davis noticed that some of the older digidestined and showed up while he was gone. In other words Tai, Matt, Izzi and their Digimon were in the room and it was becoming very uncomfortable and tight. The older boys were inspecting kens leg and listening to the same story that the others had heard earlier.

"So you got it with no trouble?" Cody asked. Davis nodded and gave the book over to the old warrior to read. Genni looked troubled, never a good sign. He passed the book around for all the others to read sharing with their digimon. It was silent save for the occasional gasp by one who was holding the journal. When they had all finished a considerable amount of pages each they looked at each other at a loss at what to do.

"So what now?"

A/N sorry if that was a boring chapter!!! Gomen nasai! But it had to be there to explain something's. No worries tho Ken (or Rune) Sayyid and Amissa will be back full swing in the next chapter. Merry Christmas!! please review! (it could be ur gift to me!! and ur gift is that ill update faster!!)


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Rune and Amissa had a fairly good day in the gardens they had even met up with Ina. They all went around picking the different fruits. The black berries and other different shaped fruits that smelled delicious. Ina and Amissa were talking about different types of fruits and what was going on in their own lives, which needless to say, wasn't much, after all they were slaves and all their lives consisted of was serving their masters, it made rune sick to think that, that was all they knew, and cared about. He pitied them for they were like children not knowing about the ocean, content to play in the puddle nearby.

Rune felt discontent. He knew freedom, or at least he thought he did. He had felt it in his dreams. He heard them start to giggle at a joke he did not understand. Bur he realized something, by the look in their eyes, that maybe they felt differently about each other. More than friends it seemed.

"_At least they have some light in this dark place," _

Rune decided to look around more without having Amissa and Ina along, he needed the time to think and besides they looked as though they could use some alone time anyway. He followed the glassy path further away from his new friends.

The father away the less there seemed to be trees and grass and fruits well, at least of the familiar fruits. These new ones were scarce, and all colored dark shades of blacks and blues and purples. He tried to pull one off to inspect it but even with all his strength he could not get it off. He sat down next to it and pondered what it was, almost pouting about it. He decided he would only ruin his brain trying to find out what it was, so he would ask Amissa about it later. He walked on. The trees were all but gone, only one or two far away from the path and the glass that made up the path was turning a gray-purple color and finally to a black glass there was no longer any vegetation, living that is…there were a few dead trees scattered about but no more grass bushes or fruits. The ground was barren and sooty in color. He ventured a foot off the path the ground felt like it looked dusty and dry. He didn't know why but he kept going off the path, it was almost as though some other force was pulling him along before he knew it he was lost.

'_Secret seeker!' _a quick voice whispered in runes ear. Rune whirled around but saw no one. He heard it again, there was no one around. He shivered this place he was in was unnatural and mysterious, yet even though he felt the hairs on the back of his neck prick and all his senses were on high alert he was somewhat comforted by the voice, it seemed familiar yet foreign.

'_Secret seeker! What are you searching for?! That which is in yourself?! OPEN YOUR EYES!'_

"RuneKaimi!! Rune! Where are you!" rune heard the distant voices of both Ina and Amissa. They sounded worried. Rune listened once more for the unclaimed voice but heard nothing.

"Rune!!"

Rune turned and headed back. It came naturally now after he had heard the voice. Almost as if he had tread this invisible road many times before. He found the glassy path once again and ran to the voices. There was a dread in the back of his mind when he thought of going back to face Sayyid. His feline ears flicked back at the memory of Sayyid's cruel whip and how it seemed fitting that he should go through this after all was he not the same as Sayyid not so long ago?

After getting back to the nice safe (or so it seemed) part of the gardens he picked up his basket he had filled earlier and ran to find Amissa.

Amissa sighed greatly when he saw Rune run up to him. But looked pleased when he saw all the fruit in runes basket.

"Gone off on your own eh?" Rune nodded still out of breath. "Sit down for a bit" amissa said "you look as though you've run miles!"

Rune sat down but failed to comment on the "miles run" part.

They laid leisurely for almost an hour when Amissa announced that he and rune had to leave for there curfew was almost up. They waved goodbye to Ina. Rune wondered if it would be the last time seeing her for he was planning on confronting Sayyid once again, he had a feeling that Sayyid knew more than he was saying but he also knew that Sayyid could hit harder, rune had a feeling he would know how much harder very soon.

They passed under the familiar gate into the village. Rune remembered what Amissa had said, that only hybrids could go through the gate into the forest, if he ever needed it, rune was sure that if he had to run away that was a safe place to go.

"Amissa why is the back of the gardens so barren? Does something live back there?" Rune asked his older friend.

"You went back there?!" Amissa whispered harshly. "Why?!"

Rune was taken aback by Amissa strange behavior it seemed similar to when he had tried to talk about his "dreams".

"Just exploring" Rune said defensively "why what's back there?"

Amissa leaned closely into Runes ear and whispered "nothing."

He walked on though a little faster and much more tense. Rune followed a little behind him. They went into the mansion and followed the same path they had taken before. Rune thought he had seen the boy he had helped earlier and waved only to have Amissa slap his hand down and give him a reprimanding look, Amissa then, going unnoticed by every one else pointed to the left. A slave manager was looking strait at them and by the looks of his uniform he was higher up in the ranks. Rune squeezed Amissa's hand in a thank you after they were out of sight.

"Don't mention it" Amissa said. Rune wondered if he really meant that. They neared the big doors and Rune felt his heart skip a beat or two. They walked in. Sayyid was in his large throne giving orders to a lowly slave; by the looks of it Sayyid was getting very angry very fast. Rune was glad he wasn't the one who would receive the beating but was at the same time disgusted at himself for thinking so. Amissa pulled Rune off to a dark corner and motioned for him to be quiet.

Rune shut his eyes tightly when he heard the crack of the whip and poor slave scream. He heard it again and again. Tears came to his eyes and his body was shaking to the point of no longer being able to stand, he collapsed to his knees put down his basket and wrapped his arms around himself. He whimpered. This was worse that the actual beatings. The slave screamed again and Sayyid began to laugh and whip him faster. Rune dared to look and couldn't stand what he saw. The slave was lying in a bloody heap no longer able to move much less defend him self and Sayyid was towering over him with the bloody whip in hand smiling like a maniac. Rune couldn't stop it, his legs moved on their own. Everything moved in slow motion as Rune jumped between the slave and what was sure to be the killing blow. This time it was Runes turn to scream. The blow was more painful than he had expected (not that he had expected anything) and he collapsed. Amissa and Sayyid had near identical looks on their faces at first but they quickly changed dramatically. Amissa's was one of horror and worry and Sayyid's was one of pure anger.

"AMISSA!" Sayyid yelled and pointed to the slave. "TAKE THIS WRETCH AWAY. As for you RuneKaimi, we'll have a little talk." Rune shivered at that.

Amissa slowly and grudgingly dragged the poor slave off to the slave sleeping quarters.

"Rune what do you think you're doing?" Sayyid asked.

"You were going to kill him-"and what's it to you!?" Sayyid growled.

Rune shivered he wasn't looking forward to what was going to happen next. "I didn't want to see him die" he said simply.

"So you thought that you would take his place, is that it?" Sayyid said gripping his whip.

"Id rather not…" Rune said. "Well your gonna!" he yelled and brought the whip down upon him.

Rune whimpered when the whip re-opened his old wounds of just a day ago. How long did it go on? An hour? Two? It all became a blur, Sayyid's evil taunts blended in with any other sound that happened to be in the background, its most common companion was his own screams. Then, the beating just stopped, nothing, or was he just numb?

"Get up." Sayyid said. "Are you broken yet?" he asked bored.

Rune used his arms to support himself he looked up. "I don't know" and he really didn't he had never been broken. At least he couldn't remember if he had… "I want to ask you something." Rune said.

Sayyid sighed angrily apparently he wasn't. "Ill tell you what, if you do something for me ill let you ask what ever you want."

"And you'll answer?"

"Fine" he said impatiently.

"What do you want me to do?" Rune asked defiantly having second or third thoughts about all this; he knew if he refused that Sayyid could just do what ever he wanted anyway.

"Come up here"

"That's all?"

"No I'm going to tell you what I want you to do up here" he said.

Rune shivered but obeyed.

"Now, what I want you to do are…" he whispered rune looked at him. He was trying to strip him of all his dignity. "Fine" he said and bent down to Sayyid's feet. He slowly removed his shoes (remember he's still hurting) he bent down and started to kiss his feet. It was so humiliating that he felt that he was going to cry.

"Why are my feet getting wet Rune?" he asked tauntingly "dry them" he commanded. Rune dried his feet with his hair and robes and kissed him again. How long he did it he didn't know, his body was in so much pain he didn't think he would keep it up much longer.

"Well then tell me your question." He said in a way that stated that Rune had better not waste his time.

"I want to know why you think my world is just a dream, I know its not!" Rune said breathless, about to pass out.

"My word is law my word is your world, anything that is not my word is only a dream. And you had better watch yourself; Amissa is more than capable of going to the gardens and getting food. I really don't _need _disobedient slaves like you." He kicked Rune in his stomach, making him cough up blood before passing out.

Sayyid shouted to a slave just outside the door. "Bring Amissa, and tell him to take care of this whelp, tell him to teach him better or he _will _regret it." The slave hurried off, not wanting to feel his master's wrath like the poor soul that lay at his feet.

Amissa came and took his smaller friend in his arms _'you're an idiot Rune…' _he thought.

He (for the second time in two days) bandaged his friend. The beating had been worse this time, but Amissa knew from experience that Sayyid had delivered much worse. He was surprised that he still hadn't used full power on the young boy, was it because Rune still couldn't remember? That had to be it, Sayyid had far too much pride to kill someone who didn't remember anything and was confused. He would wait until Rune thought he had a chance to get away and then crash his hopes completely. It happened, it always happened. He just wished that it didn't have to happen to Rune, he was so sweet, but seemed to refuse to break, there was something special about him that everyone (including Sayyid) could sense by being near or simply by meeting Rune, he was irresistible, and it had been the downfall of many slaves and masters alike who had tried to help him, and Rune didn't remember any of them which in a way made him angry, but he knew if he did remember then all of those sacrifices would have been in vain.

"_What's going on?" runes voice sounded like an echo_

"_Come here young one…" he heard a voice, the same quick voice that he had heard in the gardens. _

"_Who are you? Show yourself!" Rune challenged. _

"_I am that which you seek, for now, but I must now tell you to go and seek something much larger for your destiny is far larger than you may even imagine. As for you seeing me? Well, you can't see my physical form now, for you are merely dreaming, though, nothing in your dreams are really mere." _

"_What do you mean?!" Rune shouted. _

"_Come find me, you know where to look…then all tell you all you wish no know." _

The dream faded away. Rune opened his eyes to see Amissa's concerned eyes starring into his.

Amissa knew that look, it was determination, he was begining to remember.

Rune knew very few things at the moment he awoke, he knew he was in pain, he knew that Amissa really cared, and he knew he had to leave soon, to the gardens, the next day he would leave early and go deep In the gardens and he knew that Amissa wouldn't dare follow him, Amissa feared that place, so did he, there was no life. But he also knew that, that was where he would find the owner of the voice, the only reason that he didn't see him was that he hadn't yet gone deep enough into the gardens, and that he didn't understand what it was that he was getting into, after the dream he knew what he had to do. His mind was made up he would go"

R&R thanx!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**(Rune/ken pov)**

The next morning, or had it been a few days? He didn't know. But it was early morning, for he heard Amissa's soft snoring nearby. He slowly got up and winced. This wasn't going to be easy… he put on his robes and tiptoed out of the room. He grabbed a fruit out of a bowl in the kitchen. He then left the small hut.

He walked along the path he thought they had always gone down. He quickly noticed a problem. The gate out wasn't open. '_To keep crazy slaves like me in…'_ Rune thought wryly. He looked at the guard. Trying to decide if he wanted to talk him into letting him out early or just trying to get out unnoticed.

He walked casually out to the guards, trying to have a certain confidence to his stature, harder to do than you might think…seeing as how his body wanted to shut down right then and there.

"Stop!" the fat guard shouted. "What's your business?" he asked pointing a spear at Rune's neck.

Rune held up his hands. "Just going out to the gardens a little early."

"No one's let out before the gate is officially open. And it's not, so you can't go." The tall skinny one said.

"well, you see in need to get favor with s-I mean master so I need to bring home lots of his favorite fruits, but all of the good ones are gone by the time we get there and that makes master angry, I wouldn't want to be you when I tell him I couldn't bring home any fruit because some dumb guards wouldn't let me out before the gate opened." During his little speech he backed away from the offending spear. "So you may as well let me through, ill put in a good word for you and maybe you'll get promoted for your apparent genius." He finished now I good distance from the spear.

"The answers NO!" the fat one said emphasizing the 'no' part.

"Right…well, then ill um, be going now" Rune smiled nervously and walked out of sight. _'Well, plan B then…ugh, this'll do wonders for my injuries..' _ He mused. He walked to where he thought the wall surrounding the mansion would he shortest and therefore easiest to get over. '_crap, still in view of the guards, and the other slaves are wakening up… it wont take Amissa long to figure out that Im gone, most likely he already knows…'_

Rune took off at the fastest speed he could muster and ran to the wall and jumped up. He found hand and foot holes and started to climb. He looked over at the guards they hadn't noticed him yet, a good sign, now he just had to keep it up. He had almost made it to the top when he knocked over a flower pot. It hit the ground and shattered. He shut his eyes tight before realizing that could cost him his escape. Him suspicions were confirmed. Both the fat and Skinny guards were running in his direction. He stepped up his pace quite a bit. Then he heard more guards coming, they were opening the gate. He got to the top and jumped over; he landed and twisted his ankle. He ran despite the pain that it inflicted. He felt something graze his shoulder. An arrow. They were shooting at him. He ran harder trying to get out of range. Funny how much shorter of a trek this was when he was walking leisurely with Amissa. Amissa, what was he doing now? Would they hurt him because of this? Yes, almost no doubt. He would have to come back and save Amissa.

After what felt like an eternity he reached the gate. This one was open. Thankfully. He ran through it. He felt a certain sense of safety. Until he heard a familiar voice.

"What do you think you're doing?" It was Amissa.

"How…" Rune looked flabbergasted. There was no human way Amissa could have made it before Rune did.

"I repeat, what do you think you're doing?" Amissa crossed his arms impatiently. "Well?"

"I have to find the owner of the voice." Rune said, giving his friend the truth (no matter how strange.)

It was now Amissa's turn to look confused. "What?" he raised and eyebrow.

"I need to find the owner of the voice that was in my dream last night. I know ill find him in these gardens. He has something important to tell me!"

"You've gone insane."

"No! Really! Come with me further in! You can meet him too!" Rune grabbed Amissa's hand and pulled. But the other slave stubbornly stayed put.

"Fine stay and rot." Rune spat, he didn't have time to argue.

"Wait, I have to bring you back, Rune…I don't want to hurt you." He sounded like he really didn't.

"Then don't. You're safe in here to! They can't get you!" Rune tried to speak sense into his friend.

"Come with me." He said quietly.

"To what Amissa! To die at Sayyid's hands?! Or just to be beaten 'till Im begging for him to kill me? Or better yet ill let him totally break me! Then you'll be satisfied right Amissa!? Well sorry, Im leaving." Rune walked away and was almost shocked to hear silent crying behind him. He clenched his jaw and kept going forward trying to ignore the sobs behind him even though each one cut into him deeper than all of Sayyid's beatings ever had.

Ha ran until he couldn't hear the sad sobs anymore, only then did he realize that he was crying too.

He walked on the now familiar grey-purple glass walk way, a boulevard of death it seemed. After walking for a good while he saw one of his foot prints. He turned off the path and followed them into the desert like place.

The hot sun was burning his light skin and his throat was parched. He felt like he was going to die from the heat and he dropped his robe and kept walking. Maybe this was why Amissa was crying, he knew he would die in this desert. Fall asleep and never wake up. And right about now, it didn't sound that bad; he may not have ever even heard a voice. That was his last thought, and he passed out.

_There was a laughing voice. A young one. The voice! Rune sat up and looked around. He was no longer in the desert, he was in soft grass, surrounding in a ring of pine trees, there was some snow on the ground, and yet the grass was green and he was not cold, it was like spring time, his favorite time, Sam's favorite. _

"_Secret seeker!"_

_A young voice giggled, it was a boys voice, a little younger than Ken, or was it Rune now…? He felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned. A boy with long blue hair, spiked in some areas and shining blue eyes was in front of him. Wearing a robe of pure white with blue tallsels and he had blue wings behind him. The boy's skin seemed to glow. _

"_What are you?" Rune asked. _

"_shouldn't the question be'who am I?'"_

_Rune nodded. Dumbfounded at the incredible being in front of him. _

_The boy grinned. "My name's Umaso. And you are both Ken Ichijoji, and Rune Kaimi, is this correct little one?" _

_Rune Nodded dumbly. Umaso smiled again. The smile was familiar, but Rune couldn't place it, could Ken? Maybe. _

"_Do you know where you are little one? Little secret seeker?" _

"_No" Rune answered "why do you keep calling me secret seeker? Even in my dreams you call me this." _

"_Have I?" the boy was almost taunting in the way he answered Rune's questions with more questions._

"_Yes" Rune said firmly_

_Umaso's smile brightened. "So I have, do you know why I call you this?" _

"_No, that's why I asked…" this boy was pushing his patience._

"_Calm yourself, and listen to me. Do you know who you are, what your purpose is when your ken?"_

_Rune thought for a minute. "I am, a digidestined, i've saved the world on more than one occasion. My best friends are wormon and Davis. I was once the digimon emperor, taken by darkness. My brother was Osamu. He died, a long time ago…" _

_Umaso nodded grimly. "Yes, your brother." He was silent for a moment. "Do you feel fulfilled young digidestined? Have you completed your purpose?" _

_Rune's head jerked to look at Umaso. If his purpose was fulfilled, then why should he live? The others were happy with how things turned out, but he, he felt like a soldier without a war. Always restless, was it because he wasn't yet done? Was there more for him? There had to be_...

"_You are thinking correctly, this destiny belonged to your brother, but at his death, it now belongs to you, you have a great destiny, one that he could never fulfill, and you will do so as Rune_._" _

_Rune glared. "Oh, so am I to fall under his shadow again?!" Rune bit. _

_Umaso looked taken aback and then sorrowful. "You will not take his burden?"_

_Rune now felt guilty, how could the boy before him understand? It wasn't his fault, it wasn't Sam's fault. "Im sorry" _

_Umaso's face only lightened a shade. He smiled as best he could. "Then you will? Countless worlds depend on you doing this"_

"_Wait!" Rune held up his hands. "I don't even know what his 'burden' is…" _

"_His burden, your burden, is that of a gate keeper, since his death, evil has entered the gate world, you have visited it, the "dark ocean"?" _

_Rune stepped back, **that **place was his new destiny? _

"_You have to find the keys that will re-open the gates to the other worlds; you will have to purge the evil from the dark ocean. And after all this is done, you will be charged with the upkeep of these gates, and you will help all the digidestined of these different universes. Will you take this burden?" Umaso looked at him expectantly. _

"_Let me thi-"he was cut off as a sharp pain tore through his middle. "Aughhh!" he screamed and doubled over. He looked at his hands there was blood on them. _

"_Choose quickly little secret seeker, before the state of the worlds kills you, little core" _

"_Wha-" "choose!" Umaso yelled sharply. _

_Another wave of pain hit him. "YES! I WILL I WILL!" Rune shouted through the pain. _

_Umaso looked at the withering figure with Pity. "good." He said simply and waved his hand. _

_Rune screamed and passed out from pain._

When he awoke he found himself in a cage being led back to Sayyid's mansion. Amissa was next to the cage. Amissa had gotten him while he was talking to Umaso! Rune cursed softly. Amissa looked at him.

"I am so sorry Rune, I would have given' my life for your escape, but I could not sacrifice Ina. Please forgive me."

_Oh, that was why. _Ken thought. He sighed as submitted himself to be carried back to what was sure to be his end. _Maybe it won't be so bad, _Rune thought as he felt the pain in his middle return to him as his body came to full consciousness. He whimpered at the Mansion looming in the not so distant plains.

A/N well this took a million years sry! I don't have writers block! I have whole story outlined but I just need the inspiration to type and edit it. That's where your reviews come in! Please it isn't hard! Just an "I like it!" or "please Update!" are enough for me to know people are reading and enjoying. And as always flames are ok as long as you tell me how to improve ok? Nothing pointless like "that suck big time!" give me a reason at the very least and I will respect the flame. Thank you.

-Rumor


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Rune awoke to the feeling of prickles on his body and face; he was also awear of pain in his mid section. He tried to grope for it but found that his hands were bound. Realization came upon him in waves. He sat up as fast as he could and looked around.

"You're awake…" he heard a familiar voice smooth and seductive behind him. "...Im glad."

Rune whirled to look at Sayyid and winced when he felt a pinch in his side. He stared at Sayyid, who had a very sadistic smile on his face.

Sayyid strode forward slowly and purposefully, enjoying the look of dread and anticipation on Runes face. After what felt like a millennia Sayyid reached Rune's trembling figure. Cold hands reached out and caressed Runes jaw. Rune closed his eyes briefly.

"Are you going to beg for forgiveness?" he asked continuing his ministrations. Silver eyes flashed open. He tore his head away from Sayyid's grip.

"I have done nothing that would require me to ask for your forgiveness." He spat. Silver-white eyes blazed like a wild fire.

_**CRACK!**_

Runes eyes were wide with pain. He wanted to bring his hands up to stroke his bruised face when...

_**CRACK!**_

He found himself sprawled on the ground I foot or two away from where he had been previously kneeling. He spit out blood as it pooled him his mouth from the blows.

Sayyid wiped his hand off on his robes. "I wont permit you to talk back." He said sternly, barely contained anger tainting his words.

Rune picked himself off of he ground. His hair covered his face in an ebony curtain. He lifted his face so Sayyid could see his face. He smirked at Sayyid but his eyes held an icy intensity. "You don't own me"

Sayyid's eyes widened in rage. He walked up to Rune and raised his elbow; he brought it down on Runes forehead. Rune moaned in pain, and then Sayyid brought up his knee and rammed it into Runes abdomen. Rune doubled over. He whipped his eyes up to meet Sayyid's and Rune swore under his breath. He jumped up and slammed himself into the larger man. Knocking them both to the ground. Rune got up and Ran to the wall where numerous weapons were kept either for Sayyid's sadistic delight or to frighten his workers. Probably both. Rune ran to the nearest knife and severed the arm bonds.

He shook them off and turned only to find Sayyid blocking his way. He was seething. Rune shivered involuntarily. Sayyid closed and locked the doors.

"Just you and I…"almost as an after thought Sayyid added"but soon it'll be just me..."

Rune's eyes narrowed at the meaning. Either he got out know alive, or later, dead. He preferred the former choice. He ran to the other side of the large room.

"What's the matter Slave?" Sayyid's mocking voice came to Rune's ears. "Why don't we play a game?" He smirked like a possessed man that made chills run up Runes spine.

Sayyid strode over to the large fire place in the room, not far from the door. He lent over and picked up a long metal prod. All the while keeping his eyes on Rune. He looked over its red white tip. "Do you know…" he played with it in his hand. "what it feels like.." he taunted walking over slowly "to have fire extinguished in your own flesh..?" he asked, not ten feet from Rune. He smiled maliciously at the pained look upon Runes face. Oh how he would enjoy burning it off. He ran toward the smaller figure. Ken jumped out of the way when he felt the twinge in his stomach turn to blinding pain. He doubled over and moaned helplessly. Then Sayyid came up behind him.

"AHHHHHhhhhhhhh"

Amissa watched as Sayyid attacked Runes helpless body from a balcony high above the pair. Tears flooded from his eyes when he heard Rune scream.

"Im sorry…" he shivered and walked from ledge into the adjoining room. He looked at the bed. It was small, barely big enough for one person, but covered in red satin sheets. Inside the bed. Ina. Near death, her face was pale and her eyes were closed, her breathing shallow and hitched. He kneeled beside her and took her hand in his. He rested his head on her cold hand.

Another sacrifice, for this amazing slave that could cheat death that had cheated death on many occasions. Was the reason Rune lived because everyone around him died? It couldn't be and yet this was what seemed to happen. But now…now, Ina was dying, he hadn't captured Rune in time, his betrayal was in vain, now he would lose the two only things keeping him alive. He sobbed at another pained cry coming from the room.

He could leave. Be freed from the sight of his beloved dangling at deaths door, and free from the sounds of Runes screams. The door was unlocked, he could go anywhere. But Sayyid, Sayyid knew he wouldn't leave. Sayyid knew he was a coward who would betray friends, but Sayyid also knew that Amissa would be too racked with guilt to leave, therefore torturing two slaves at once.

"Amissa…" amissa lifted his head from Ina's frosty hand. Ina smiled at him painfully. His un-held hand went to her mid section where poison was wracking her frail body. "What's happening?" he asked.

"Ina…" Amissa was interrupted but another piercing scream from Rune. Amissa bit his lip.

"You didn't, you brought him to try and save me, you knew he wouldn't keep his promise…Amissa why?"

Rune screamed again.

"I couldn't leave you, you can die, Rune never does…" it was a pitiful excuse in his ears as well as hers.

"He can die…just like us, but his destiny has kept death from reaching him.

"Then it will keep it from him again!" He shouted as an answer.

"No amissa, he won't survive without help, not this time. You need to save him." he whispered. "Promise?" she asked, she could feel her life drain as she spoke.

Amissa broke. "I promise." The little color and heat that had returned to her body was leaving her rapidly. "I promise stay with me!" he shouted.

"I can't."

Rune shivered. Sayyid had him pinned to the floor. He was bleeding horribly from a dozen some wounds on his body. But for one reason or another, the most painful thing was the invisible injury inside of him. It was familiar, like the ache he was felt in his leg before it opened, the night before this whole mess had started.

Runes eye sight was blurry, weather from the numerous blows to his head, for from tears he didn't know. But what he did know was that he saw a figure, like an angel descending from heaven. It was coming for him. Maybe he had already died, and this angel was going to take him where he belonged.

He screamed when he felt the hot iron on his leg again. The figure came faster. He gasped when the weight of his master was taken off of him.

_I can see him lying there, unresponsive. He's staring at me. I can feel his eyes boring in, just like they've always done, unblinking and hard. But he doesn't mean it. He just earnestly wants to look at you, to see your soul through your eyes, and when you look away, because you are uncomfortable under his gaze. He turns away as well, although he's the one who did something wrong. _

_Its not you Rune, who has done wrong, you have done nothing, and yet life hands you nothing but trouble. And yet you turn away, you accept unjust punishment because you think you deserve it. You don't, and I'm going to save you. It is my attempt to justify all that you have one through, all that I have done to you. It isn't enough, not in my eyes, but maybe in yours_…

Amissa climbed down from a robe had had make with the tapestries and blankets in the room, sparing only one to cover the corpse of his dead lover. It meant he had a five foot or so drop to the ground, but it was worth it. He crept behind Sayyid which wasn't to hard because of the racket that both he and Rune were making. He then picked up his pace and tackled Sayyid off of Rune. At the same time he knocked the slow cooling rod to the floor.

"Rune get up! Run!" he shouted while trying to pin Sayyid at the same time as knocking him out. It was no easy task, Sayyid had the strength of a demon. "RUN!" Amissa repeated.

Rune shook as he tried to comprehend what was happening. Sayyid was off o him. The door was less than fifteen feet away…he could unlock it with the twist of a wrist, and run to freedom.

He pushed himself off the floor. Yes! This could work! Put a shaky hand on the wall and steadied himself. He slowly, with the help of the wall limped to the doors, one of his legs was badly burned. He could still feel the metal on his skin. He whimpered and fell, landing on his injured legs. He screamed.

Sayyid turned his anger from Amissa whom no longer had the upper hand. Amissa now carried a good number of bruises. Sayyid jumped from being on top of Amissa to running at Runes collapsed form.

"No!" Amissa growled and ran hard at Rune. Amissa being of a lighter build then Sayyid reached Rune first. He scooped Rune up but Sayyid had them pinned in a corner.

"You can't get out now…" He whispered evilly.

Rune gripped Amissa's robe fearfully.

"We can…" Amissa shouted and jumped. There was a flash of light and when Sayyid could see again he was the figure of amissa with blazing gold wings. Flying above him heading for the balcony. He flew through the narrow entrance and through the room, sparing a glace at his beloved then he flew through the door and out into the open. He saw the garden gates ahead but heard the sound of soldiers and archers readying themselves.

_**WIZZ!**_

Something grazed his left cheek. His heart sank. '_Arrows…' _

He swooped and swerved to avoid them. "Rune! Are you alright?" he yelled to be heard over the rushing air around them.

Rune turned a weary head to look at him. "Amiss-LOOK OUT!" Amissa didn't have time to look when an arrow penetrated is right wing. He screamed and tried to pull it to him in pain but it sent them into a spiral. He painfully stretched it back out but he was weaker and a volley of more arrows were on their way. Today was his last day.

The gate. Now much father away…he wouldn't make it back. He had to carry rune as far as he could and hope for the best. Another arrow struck him, going through his leg. He screamed again longer this time. He grip weakened on Rune.

"Its destiny..." he whispered mournfully. Another arrow hit. He dropped Rune and flew on in a blinded pain filled fury before he fell far to the left of where Rune landed.

Amissa lay on the ground, his body broken, arrows protruding from several places on his torso. "I'm sorry." His eyes saw no more.

Rune was silent as he fell. This was it. He would be no more after this. He was thankful to Amissa for saving him from the slow death he would face with Sayyid. And sadly the one thing he wished for Amissa, was a swift death as well. Neither of them were going to survive. He crashed into the ground and he screamed but it didn't sound more than a choked gurgle. Blood spilled from his mouth. He blacked out.

**The digital world**

The digidestined watched in horror while Ken screamed and withered on the bed. New injuries appearing from no where, they ranged from deep cuts to bruises but most were burns. For those he screamed loudest.

"What's happening Genni?" Yolie whimpered.

Tai, Matt, Davis and Genni were all struggling to keep ken from hurting himself while the injuries appeared.

Then all of a sudden ken jolted and he screamed terribly. The digidestined nearest to ken swore that they heard bones crack. Then he went slack blood dripped from his mouth. To the point of Genni checking his vitals and calling for complete stillness while he waited for the weak pulse. He found one and then he put his hand under kens nose to feel for breath. It was there….

"Quickly…we must bandage him…" he went through a door way that had gone unnoticed until now and he came back with arm loads of long bandages, hot water, and medicine.

Genni quickly went about checking Ken's arms. He noted that one was broken. He moved to his torso and gently prodded. Numerous ribs were fractured, and more than one broken completely, those would have to be removed. He moved lower. Kens pelvis had been spared but both of his legs were badly broken. Ken was also covered in cuts on all sizes and not to mention the burns. Kens face had made out with one black eye; a burn on his neck and a long gash over one the black eye. He also had other smaller scratches and bruises.

Genni ushered the girls into the other room and turned back to the gruesome sight that was ken. He noted dimly that kens torso was beginning to turn red. _'Now what?'_

Genni started with kens legs. He grabbed a hold of one and felt it more carefully and set it. He heard the bone snap and he could feel the boys behind him cringe. He was thankful that ken was unconscious, but kens body still twitched in pain. He repeated this with his other leg and arm.

For his chest he asked Tai and Matt to help him tie Ken down, then he shoed the boys out. For if they could barely handle the broken bones no doubt they wouldn't survive _**this**_.

He carefully tied off the blood supply, to at least some of it and began to work.

A few hours later the digidestined and their digimon came back in, save wormon who had stayed the whole time to watch over Ken, no matter how it pained him to do so.

"How is he?" Kari asked.

"He'll survive." Genni said and pulled the blanket down to display Kens pale chest now covered in bloodied bandages.

"What made that happen?" Davis questioned looking closer at his pale friend.

Genni was about to speak when a painfully thin voice interrupted.

"Amissa…" Ken whispered. "Sayyid will get him, and Ina…" Ken groaned painfully and tried to shift.

"Leave me, I have to find him, again, I don't know what he wants. Back to the gardens…"

"What's he saying?" Tai asked with his brows furrowed.

"Im not entirely sure…it could be…no, no it couldn't." he seemed to be having an internal battle with himself.

Then the ground started to shake.

"Now what!?" Davis shouted trying to keep his balance.

"Oh no…" another long gash had appeared on Ken's med section. They knew were this came from..

A/N

Ok…so it was a little short, but eh, ive been sick and the computer is being dumb. Im getting a new one put in my room, but its being bratty…so we'll see where that goes…

Oh! And im so, so sorry! I didn't update as soon as I should've, but don't worry, I can't abandon this fic, simply because I have it all written out on paper. But, just so you readers know, the more reviews I get the faster I update!

Flames are ok, but they need to be more substantial then "that sucked bricks!! angry face I wasted so much time!" ok, tell me why you think it sucks if you're going to take the time to flame. I love long reviews, hey! Ill dedicate the next chapter to whoever has the longest review! LOL sorry, (I just had to!)

Anyway. Ken wants you to review…right Ken?

Ken: "for all this pain you're putting me though? You bet…I need something for being put through all this…oh, and Rumorunderoath does not own digimon, but she owns Sayyid, Amissa and Ina…and the world they live in which is yet to have a name….sigh is that good?"

Rumor: yes.

Ken: good Im taking a shower…

Rumor: you do that….you smell like Sayyid.


	9. Chapter 9

**Secret seeker**

The Digidestined ran to the TV set in the room to get to the outside. They went through and landed in a pile of flailing limbs.

"Davis get your fat butt off of me…" Yolie moaned in an agitated voice.

"…Its not fat…" He retorted in a pathetic voice.

T K looked around, being at the top of the pile had its advantages. The ground shook again and he looked into the distance. The trees in the distance shook violently and then disappeared. He got up and stomped on a few people in the process.

He waved briefly telling any who saw him to follow.

Kari was next to go then Cody and Davis; their digimon with them. Yolie grumbled about being on the bottom and chased after, a little worse for the wear.

When they reached the tree line, or what was the tree line, they all got a horrible feeling of deja-vu. Where the trees had been once there was now a long gash in the earth, just like the canyon from before.

The girls went back to the TV set and jumped back to Genni's home.

"There's a huge hole out there!" Yolie yelled, she doubled over trying to catch her breath.

Genni nodded sadly, "no doubt that there is something similar happening in the human world as well." He pushed the pale boy's dark hair away from his face.

"Why is that?" Kari asked her eyes were wide and her face had paled a little.

Genni sighed again. His age showing a little, this whole ordeal was very taxing. "The core for the human world has yet to present him or herself. So until then, the human world is more tied into the digital world than is normal. Ken is the core for quite a few worlds."

The boys had now come back. "So then it's like the human world's stress is breaking the digital world, and the Digiworld is breaking the human world?" Yolie reasoned.

"-and any other worlds that finds itself connected with it. Any normally healthy world is much more at risk when it doesn't have its own core. Its like sharing one chair with ten people, it will eventually give out and the people will get hurt when it does." Genni explained.

"Then that means that the Digiworld isn't the only thing in danger. Is there any way to find out about these other worlds…?" Davis asked.

Genni re-wet a cloth and placed it on Ken's fore-head. "The digital world has a direct connection with all other worlds….even ones that do **not** use Ken as the core. But the portal to get to these other worlds has been contaminated…The portal is the Dark ocean."

Rune shivered. He felt light go through his eye lids, urging them to open, but he stubbornly refused. Somewhere in his mind he knew it wouldn't be in his best interest to awaken now.

Koen sighed as Rune fell back into his coma like slumber, he shook his black curls from his face and felt Rune's fore-head to be sure that he hadn't re-developed a fever.

"Is he awake yet…?" someone asked from the other end of the room.

"Nope…he's a stubborn one, that he is…." Koen answered.

An older man with cropped silvery hair walked up to the taller man. "Koen…don't you find it odd that he was still alive when you found him…? That his wounds were already tended to? Why would someone go to all that trouble to help him, and then leave him there alone and unconscious?" the man asked.

They turned their heads in Rune's direction when they heard him moan. " Is it possible that he did it himself…?" Koen asked.

The silver headed man shook his head, "with those wounds…?"

Koen nodded. "Someone else did this for him."

"If this is happening here and in the human world, we can help those worlds…but what about the other worlds that Ken is the core for? Are there other destined for those worlds…?" Kari asked after a long silence.

Genni brought his hand to wipe away the sweat that accumulated on his brow. "The worlds with their own cores will have their own Destined, but one core, means one team of destined."

"Then if this could be happening else where and we wouldn't be able to help." TK mused and shot a look at his elder brother for conformation.

"Genni said that the connection to the other worlds was the dark ocean. If we go there we can get to these other worlds right Genni?" Cody asked the old guardian.

The other destined blanched at the idea of going to such an evil infested area. "Unfortunately that's right, but without Ken opening the portal for you the Digiworlds guardian will need to open it for you…its….very draining for a guardian to do this…they would only be able to send you one way." Genni sighed.

"But Ken is here, if we wait until he wakes up, couldn't he send us to the other worlds…?" Kari questioned.

Genni sat on the edge of the bed that Ken occupied. "Ken's physical body is here. But his mind is not." He let the information sink in.

The Digidestined stared in stunned silence, that is, until Davis spoke up. "So where is he?" He asked with a raised eye brow.

"Davis, how would Genni know?" T.K. asked in annoyance.

"It was just a question T. M." Davis crossed his arms and turned his face away in a childish show of rebellion.

"Actually, Ken was talking in his sleep, something that is thankfully part of every core; they tend to go places in their sleep a lot; and I heard him talk about going to the gardens, I also heard the name Umaso, the name of a guardian in one of Ken's worlds. I know where he is…" Genni reasoned and stood between the two boys who looked ready to jump each other.

"Then we can find him, all we need is for you to send us there, then the other guardian, Umaso, can send us all back." Tai, who had been in the background for a while, said.

Genni looked undecided.

"Please Genni, if we don't do this who knows what will happen to our worlds!?" Kari pleaded.

"I-" Genni was cut off by more teeth chattering shaking. The ground trembled beneath their feet and then abruptly stopped. They looked to Ken's body and noticed that a long but shallow bruise was forming across his cheek.

"I don't think we have much choice…" He whispered.

Rune moaned softly his body was still numb with sleep and cracked open an eye to see blinding sun light seeping through an old curtain. "wha…?" he whimpered.

"I Think he's waking up now…" an older mans voice entered Runes abused ears.

He tried to lift his arms to cover his over sensitive ears. It sounded like the man was screaming in his ear!

"Let me see…" a softer voice answered. Rune forced his blurry eyes to focus. He blinked several times and slowly saw a tall man with kind eyes and curly black hair stand over him. After a few more blinks he saw a shorter man with squinty black eyes.

"So now what are you going to do with him…?" the older man asked with his arms crossed.

Koen-the man with the cark curls- waved his hands in an annoyed manner. "Are you feeling ok?" he asked eyeing the new mark on his face.

Rune looked at the young man. He looked friendly, he was reminded of Amissa. Amissa…he felt tears well in his eye, not only from the pain in his body returning, but at the pain of loosing his only friend in the once again strange world. He sighed pathetically and passed out without answering the mans question.

Koen sighed and ran a tanned hand through his dark locks. He looked at the old man, the doctor and his personal friend, "What should I do with him….?" He asked.

The doctor sniffed. "He's a run away slave! If you harbor him his master could have you arrested."

"He isn't wearing any insignia-" He wouldn't, all he is wearing is a lion-cloth, no Owner would put it there…" the doctor interrupted, "But I suppose legally there is no proof, only common sense, that this is a slave. The scars on his body more than prove that."

Koen straightened his back and clenched his fists. "Then he will be my slave, there is no way to tell that he isn't. He will be treated well here…"

The old man shook his head at his friend's stubborn convictions. "I will not say no, and," he winked at Koen, "for all I know, he's always been your slave." He handed an ointment for Rune into Koen's hands and then left.

Koen smirked, his friend didn't like what he was doing, but he would go along with it. He turned his head in the direction of the frail young body. He called for a servant (for he did not own slaves.) and told her to get robes that carried his name and mark, and to put it on the resting slave. He also informed her that he would be working personally with him.

Koen left the servant girl to her work after she gently clothed the injured hybrid. He walked out of the room after leaving a man servant to watch over Rune and gave strict instructions for the man to call for him if the boy seemed to be waking up.

A few hours later Rune opened his silvery eyes and peered around a room. He snuggled into the sheets and drowning in the blankets and in his own carefree forgetfulness. The colors danced around in front of his eyes, and his body was numb. He thought he heard a rustling nearby, but he couldn't be sure. Once again, he was sure of nothing.

The young knocked on the door to his master's study. Koen shouted for him to come in. The young man quickly pushed the door open and bowed his head in respect. Koen's eyes were excited, just waiting for the word. The man didn't disappoint.

"Sir, The young hybrid has awakened." He added "He looks confused…"

Koen ran into the hybrids temporary room. He saw that the brunette was awake and trying to sit up, his body was still numb, he couldn't feel the pain of his wounds being re-opened. He ran up to the confused boy and gently pushed him back down.

"I know you don't know who I am, but I'm going to take care of you. Your body is numb from medicine so you don't feel the tearing of your back; you need to lay back down." Koen stated in a soft voice, barely above a whisper. Rune complied, he saw no reason not too, and he was content lying in the soft covers.

"What's your name…?" Koen asked.

"It's…" Rune was confused, what was his real or Ken? Which was he?

"I'm not sure yet…" he answered.

A/N

Hoooooly cow!! I'm so so sorry people!!! I did not mean for this to take so long! I HAVE NO EXCUSE!!! I'm sorry I'm sorry!!

I want to thank all the reviewers and my mother who are reading this and giving comments back!!!

Reviews help!! I always right more when I get reviews they inspire!!!!


	10. Chapter 10

Hey everyone!! Guess what my resolution is this year? A hundred words a day at least. Yea, I know, it's going to be hard. This could either mean that there will be faster updates, or longer chapters….

Rune looked out of the window of his new home. His new master came and spoke to him often, asking for his name every time he visited. But every time his master-named Koen-would leave disappointed. Rune never spoke a word.

He was here now, watching Rune stare out the window. "How are you feeling? I told you we were lessening the pain medications, you should be able to get out of bed today, if you felt like it, we could go for a walk. I can show you lands."

Silence.

Koen took a different approach. "Are you hungry?" he called to his personal servant, who shadowed him constantly. "Bring us something…" he turned to Rune, "Do you have any preferences?" he asked. No answer. "Just bring us some fruit then." He said. The servant left.

After a while the servant came back in. bringing with him the fruit: blue purple apples and long red fruit that was stringy in texture and very juicy. Rune also saw the black spiked berries that he had picked with Amissa. He heart panged as he bit into one, where was Amissa now? Rune shuddered; he knew the answer in his heart even though he amply denied it.

Koen watched his 'slave.' He was troubled, and sad. His eyes help no hope, no shine, no love. The dark man barely knew this slave, but he felt compelled to help him, to bring him back to life. "Let's go outside. He can just sit in my garden. I know hybrids like gardens…" he mentioned.

Runes head turned lightly at this. Was he to work for this man now? Getting the delicious food that his old master so craved? He slowly maneuvered his legs to hang off of the bed. He solely put his weight on his feet and winced. No matter how slow he went, the barely healing skin on his back and legs were stretching with his every movement, threatening to re open.

He looked at his 'master' pleading for some help; he had been instructed that (if he should even decide to talk) he should call him master only in public. Otherwise, he would be called Koen.

Koen smiled at the small sign of trust, and determined not to break said trust, gently helped Rune get onto his feet and keep him steady.

They walked out of the house and into bright sunlight. Rune had to squint and cover his eyes until they were once again used to the brightness of the blazing star. Koen led him to what looked like a wall of hedges.

Tall and green and protective they stood, keeping the smaller and more delicate plants out of the scorching sun and punishing winds that could sometimes cross this side of the world. Rune felt safe inside of them, he breathed easier and smiled.

Rune explored the small safe world on his own while Koen watched from a stone bench set in the middle of the little paradise. He enjoyed seeing the distraught slave open up. He had hoped that the boy would say something, or at least tall Koen his name.

After loosing interest in constantly stalking the boy with his eyes he called a servant to bring him a book from his library. The servant returned promptly with the book and a picture of lemonade and a pair of glasses. Koen thanked the man (who seemed to always know exactly what his master wanted) and set to reading his book occasionally looking at the still amused slave.

Rune looked over at his master after exploring all of the plants in his garden, none of the flowers looked like the fruits in Sayyid's garden. Where did Koen get the wonderful fruits then? Did he buy them maybe? Rune sighed audibly, did it matter anyway? He had much more important things to worry about anyway…Like his name.

His name, his name….what should it be? That horrid name, RuneKaimi? What did it mean anyway? He certainly hadn't heard of others called by that name. Amissa he heard more than once, Koen he'd heard of, and Ina-the beautiful slave girl-had an extremely popular name. However, there was one more name that he hadn't heard repeated. Sayyid. What made that man so different?!

He stood up gracefully, his movements didn't betray the wounds his clothing hid, and slunk over to Koen. His master was reading a book with a mustered colored binding and blue-black lettering. He couldn't read the title; the symbols that decorated the cover were foreign. He pointed to it and looked questioningly at his master.

Koen smiled and handed Rune a glass full of the cold golden colored drink. He read it out loud. "_The Guardians Rule". _ Rune looked even more confused, so Koen elaborated. "There was a time in history when this world was ruled by 'the guardians', or so the book says. It's become somewhat of a myth now, few believe in such things. But I find enjoyment dabbling in the secrets of the world." He spoke with reverence; this was obviously a topic he loved dearly.

Rune looked at the scrawled lettering again. Then he spoke, "Teach me." He whispered. Koen looked at the slave who was concentrating on the letters.

"You spoke..." Koen said. "You can speak then!" he turned and grabbed Rune's shoulders being mindful of his injuries. "Why wouldn't you before?"

Rune looked startled. "I..." he looked Koen in his eyes. "You only asked my name…never if I could talk…" the hybrid looked away. "I'm sorry I didn't answer."

"Well then, can you tell me your name now?!" Koen asked in an excited tone. Rune stayed silent. Then Koen tipped Runes face up and looked into the slaves eyes. "Please, tell me your name. I won't hurt you. I will never hurt you. I won't give you back to your master unless you want me too. And I won't sell you."

Rune pondered the words. Masters weren't like that. Never. Why was this one acting different? Rune shuddered. Either he could be tricking Rune into false trust or he could be sincere. The slave stared at his master. Memorizing the pose and face, taking in all of the details of his eyes and hopeful smile, he looked like someone so very familiar to him. But who?

"I don't know my name yet. I don't know which to use, what is real and what isn't…." He looked at a small bud that he held in his hand. "Both names bring so much to me. Painful memories and wonderful ones, awesome friends and bitter enemies, both names and the lives that seemed to go with them….they feel like dreams…very real and horribly wonderful dreams." Rune snapped his head up to Koen; he eyes were full of confusion. "Give me a new name for this new life! At least until I find out which I really am…" Rune whispered the last sentence.

Koen studied the smaller figure. "Alright, I'll name you, but when you remember who you are, I want to know your real name." Rune smiled. "Now! I shall teach you how to read! And we shall pick out your name." Koen flipped the pages of the books and pointed to a word. "Now you do it, the word you land on will be your name!" Koen explained while pushing curly hair from his tanned face.

Rune shut his eyes and flipped the book and stopped a little over half way through. He pointed to a word at the bottom of the page. He opened his eyes and looked expectantly at Koen.

Koen's eyebrows shot up. "This is the name of the first Guardian. He was mysteries, just like you were…his full name is Andromeda, though, in the legends, they called him 'Meda the Dark'. That's what you pointed to, see?" he pointed to the characters and explained them. "Is that what you want? To be Andromeda? To be Meda?" he asked. Rune nodded. He couldn't live up to Andromeda, or to Meda the Dark. But he could be just plain Meda. "Meda." Rune whispered. He smiled. "Will you teach me now?" Koen smiled back and pulled Rune/Meda closer. They looked over the book and Koen taught Rune/Meda until it was took dark to see in front of them. OK screw the one hundred words thing. That's so lame. It like only a paragraph!!!! I'm going to do 300 words a day a least now!! Maybe if I feel like it, 500. Please review!! Thanks loves!! 


	11. Chapter 11

Hey everyone! I'm back! Wowz. I have never ever ever ever started working on a new chapter so soon after finishing the chapter before. Sweet. Alright, thanks to ASOTA (is that right?) for reviewing the last chapter! For the record, im still calling Ken 'Rune' but Koen is calling Ken "Meda". P.s. Meda is pronounced "med" like 'med'icine. Except it has an "a" at the end. Does that make sense?

Secret Seeker Chapter 11

Days passed in the same way that the day Rune had gotten his new name, Meda. They read and wrote. Rune could now recognize many words and could write a few important ones. Koen was a born teacher, always patient and understanding, but firm. "You wanted to learn so I'm teaching you. I wont let you quit because it's Difficult." And that was the way of it.

The sky was dark and the little silver stars littered the unending blackness. The twin moons beamed as they looked down at the sleeping slave in the home of his master Koen. The black haired boy's body was trembling and little stars of sweat gleamed in the light. His face twisted and he moaned pathetically.

_Your Time is running out Secret Seeker._

Ken Whimpered. The voice was tired and haunting. An Image made itself clear in his mind. The digital world. His friends were there laughing and enjoying themselves. Then it shifted, the image distorted and it was the same spot his friends had been. It was barren, black and red. Large gashes split the earth on all sides and there on the dead branch of an equally dead tree, was a pair of goggles. Davis' goggles. The digital world was dead.

_See what you will do fool? SEE!!_

The image faded and then changed into his home in the real world. He saw his parents on the balcony. Rune looked up and waved. They couldn't see him. Then he went white, he felt the trembling of the earth. The sky became lashed with red and black blocking out the warmth of the sun. The earth ripped and swallowed the building. With everyone inside.

_See what you have already done._

He saw the image fade once more, this time to Koen's home. So quaint, the surrounding village. Full of life, Children running and playing with each other. Mothers keeping a watchful eye while gossiping about the latest news, men working and talking or eating. Animals grazing under the watchful eyes of their keepers. It was all so green and beautiful. It was so _**right. **_He watched the sky begin to swirl and turn to red and black.

"No!! No stop!!" Rune screamed with tears running down his cheeks. His eyes were red and blotchy, his face contorted in agony.

_You are a fool to think you can survive this. Your new friend can not save you._

"Stop this…" Rune whispered.

The voice took form. The form of the boy in the old gardens. He raised his hand and the world and the destruction paused. He cocked his head and stared blankly at Rune. "I can not stop this. I do not have the power. You can stop this. It's been your destiny; you were _born_ to stop this. Only you can."

"How?" Rune Whispered.

The boy's face contorted, as if he was in pain. "My time runs short. I can not linger here. You must come and see me again. Then I will tell you all you need to know. But you must hurry, or all that you have seen will come to pass." The boys form faded and all that was left was the view of the carnage of a world being destroyed.

_You are RuneKaimi! You are secret seeker! _

The voice gurgled and became pained. Then it shrieked.

_**HE IS COMING!! **_

Koen started. His book fell forgotten from his hands. "What was..?" He walked swiftly out of his sitting room and headed down the hall. He could hear the moans and cries of Meda in his room. He opened the door and stared.

Rune was pulled tight in bed. His knees tucked up to his chest and his arms shoved under them. His body shook and his complexion was ghostly. His hands came up to his face and he bit down on his finger, it started to bleed.

The sight of the crimson life slipping out of Meda's finger snapped Koen back to reason. He rushed to the bed and tore the finger out. He shook the young man awake.

Rune looked at Koen in surprise. "He's coming…"

"What do you mean?!" Koen hissed.

"He…he's…" Runes whimpered. "No no no no" he repeated. Rune grasped Koen's bed shirt and pressed his face into it. Koen felt the fabric stick to his body as it became more and more wet. Koen petted the dark boys head. Whispering words that meant nothing and everything.

It wasn't known how long they stayed locked together. One a forlorn and troubled savior, the other a confused and helpless comforter. They fell asleep like that; each locked in the arms of other, both not knowing what was to come.

The next morning Rune opened pearly eyes to see his masters tan skinned face above him. The mans curly hair was ruffled and his dark eyes shut to the world. "Koen?" The slave asked tentatively.

Koen awoke to the voice of the smaller figure. "What is it..?" He asked in a sleepy voice.

"Koen…" Rune whispered again. "I don't know what my name should be, but I know someone who can tell me. We need to go to him."

Koen's mind was back from the sleeping world in a flash. "Where can we find this person!?" He asked in a hurried voice.

Rune looked down at his hands. "I can't ask you to come; it is too dangerous for normal humans to go there anyway. Not to mention that if my old master finds out…he'll kill you as well as me…"

"Tell me where…I refuse to let you go alone, even if that is your wish…" Koen was speaking in the same tone he used when he was talking about his books. Total reverence and sincerity. "Besides, I am your master; it would look odd for a slave to be traveling alone."

Rune smiled. "I can't guaranty anything…he knows who I am. He knows why I'm here. He can tell me how to save them…" Rune's eyes were focused towards the window of his room, where the sun was already invading with its white-gold light.

Rune turned to Koen. "I will be better than Meda the Dark. Here I will be called 'Andromeda the grey'."

"Grey? Not 'the White' or 'The good'? Why…?"

Rune stared out the window towards Koen's heavenly garden. "I am not to delusional to think I am that good, nor am I white and pure." Rune looked sadly at Koen. "Grey is as good as I'll get."

Koen shook his head and smiled. "Meda, you will not be called 'Andromeda the grey', you will be much greater than you think."

Digital World…

"We need to get to the Dark Ocean."

The other Digidestined looked at Davis tiredly. They all knew, but none wanted to go to such a corrupted place.

Davis turned to Genni. "How can we get there, can you transport us there as well?"

Genni shook his head. "No, if I did that, I wouldn't have the energy to send you to the other world."

"Then how are we going to get there?" Tai asked.

"Besides Ken, there is one other in the group who can open a portal to the Dark Ocean. Even she will not have the energy to get all of us there, so saying, the older Digidestined need to stay behind. I wouldn't have enough power to transport you to the other world anyway." Genni reasoned, and then he looked at Ken still lying helpless. "Besides, someone will have to care for him. We can't have the earth ripping open and swallowing him up."

The Digidestined blanched at the thought but Kari looked most pale. "You mean me don't you, you want me to bring us to the Dark ocean…" She whimpered. "I hate it there! You can't send me there!"

She fell to the ground and brought her knees up to her chest and sobbed into them.

Tai looked around and the sad faces of the team, all of them wanting to help, but unsure of how to do so.

He motioned for them to leave the room. Then he bent down to Kari's level and pulled her tight into his chest. He felt her shaking sobs and he rubbed her head.

"Kari?" No response. "Kari?" He tried again. "Little sis?" she looked up. "I know you don't want to do this. But look at him." He motioned to Ken, the only one who couldn't leave the room. "He is trapped in some other world, and he can't get out. He is already so touched by darkness he can't get away from it. He still isn't strong enough."

He pushed be back and held her shoulders firmly. "You are _light_ Kari! The opposite of darkness and evil! You can fight the darkness for all of us, you can get us to the dark ocean, and then we can save all of the worlds in this mess." He looked her deep in the eyes and said. "It isn't just about him, or you or me anymore. There's so much more at stake this time."

Tai held his younger sibling while she hiccupped and sobbed into his shoulder. He rubbed her back and said soothing things.

Kari pulled away and looked into Tai's eyes. "I'm going to do it." She said with a conviction.

Tai let out a huge whoop. "YES!!"

The other children ran in. "She's going to do it!" He smirked. "See, my little sister ai'nt a wimp!"

He pulled her close again, "I'm proud of you." He whispered.

Kari nodded to her brother, "take care of him ok?" Then she turned to the others in the room. "Let's go."

She walked gracefully out of the small room through the TV set and the others followed. When they came out they saw Kari holding out her D-3. Genni came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "You can do this." He said.

Kari concentrated harder and felt the darkness try to wash over her, trying to drown out her light. She heard the waves and felt the black hands of darkness try and pull her feet out from under her. She heard screaming. Hers? No. It was angry, it begged to be freed. The evil digimon from what seemed an age ago. "You can not have me." She said.

The darkness fled a little but then renewed their forces, pushing against her even harder.

"YOU CAN NOT HAVE ME!" She screamed.

The darkness joined in her song, but screamed for a wholly different reason. It felt her light piercing through it. The darkness felt her protect those with her. It felt her invade its home. It screamed again. Light had found its way into darkness' home.

The Dark Ocean

The Digidestined looked around. The grey atmosphere surrounded them in a choking grasp. The black water lapped at the shore with a mock calming sound. It almost felt safe.

"Now where do we go?" Davis asked as he helped support Kari.

The eyes turned to Genni. He pointed farther ahead. "We need to go there…" He said

They looked ahead and saw dark black cliffs with red designs burned into it. There was an eerie red light coming from a long crack in the cliffs. They ran to it.

When they arrived at the crevice they looked with awe. There was a large midnight colored door that was covered in chains, it had pad locks spaced randomly around them.

"Not there, only Ken can open that one now…" Genni said sadly. He pulled them off to the side and they came to a much smaller door. It looked like silver tarnished from misuse.

Genni shuddered and pulled on the gate. The Digidestined could see his arms shake and strain as the door slowly cracked open. Genni's body gave off a greenish glow which fed the door. It opened a little easier. There was a terrible amount of noise; they could hear screams, metal grinding against metal, crying, and a deafening rumbling noise like a waterfall.

"Get in!" Genni shouted through the sounds.

The Digidestined hesitated for a moment. "What are you waiting for! I can't hold it!" He shouted.

Davis nodded and handed Kari off to TK. He jumped through. Soon he was followed by Cody and Yolie who held hands going through. Then TK stood Kari up and made sure she could hold herself. "I'll see you on the other side." He whispered and jumped.

Kari slowly walked to the door. She looked at Genni's trembling form. He was growing old again. She touched his shoulder. "You won't be here when we come back will you?" She asked quietly.

He shook his head. Then he pushed her through. "NOW GO!"

Genni smiled as he felt the last of his energy leave his body. The door closed and disappeared. "Good bye. Its all yours now…" He whispered and the last of his breaths left his body.

The digital world dissolved his body. The digimon could feel the death of their beloved guardian. A great cry rang out from the mouths of the inhabitants of the Digital world.

The greatest Guardian in the history of the Digital world was dead.

AN

So did you guys get all that? Genni is dead. I'm so sorry for those who loved him! (I did to!) but it had to happen for the story to progress like I want it to!

Dedicated to Beth for giving the longest review! You go girl! (OH! Go get an account! You won't regret it!!)

Please review! Corrective Criticism is adored people!


	12. Chapter 12

Yay! A new chapter!! We have a snow day here! Unfortunately, im Home-schooled. That means I still have to do school work. (You guys want to sign a petition to get me out of this? LOL)

**Chapter 12**

"I'm tired."

Koen rolled his eyes and looked at the young man beside him.

"My back hurts…" Rune whispered.

Koen sighed. "You told me you wanted to get to this place as soon as possible. So I got us horses. You said you could ride them."

Rune pouted at Koen. "Yes, I can ride them, but it's hurting now!"

The two figures of Koen and Rune were cloaked in dark colored clothing and capes. Rune hardly looked like a slave. Rune was ridding a docile mare with a grey spotted coat. And Koen rode a black stallion that had a white star on its face. Rune's mare had the food and cooking utensils on it, and Koen's horse held the bedding and Koen's weapons.

It was twilight and Koen had to admit that it was time to stop. It would do no good to get lost in the dark.

They set up came by a large rock formation that would protect them from the harsh winds of the season. They tethered their horses so they could graze. Koen went to find wood and Rune set up the fire pit and the sleeping blankets.

Soon they had a fire keeping them warm and dried meat and bread in their bellies. They laid down and fell into light sleep.

_He's coming!_

Rune stirred in his sleep.

_Get up! Foolish child! He is upon you!_

Rune moaned and burred his head deeper into the blanket serving as his pillow.

_RUN!_

Runes body shook as he shot up. "Koen! Koen get up!" Rune roughly shook the older man. Koen moaned and opened his eyes.

"What is it Meda?" He asked sleepily.

Runes eyes were wild. "He is coming!"

Koen's eyes widened. "Who? Your old master?"

Rune turned and got out of his warm blankets and looked over the rocks they were sheltered by. "I don't know, maybe its him." He turned back to Koen after he was sure he couldn't see anyone. "It feels more sinister, more…evil." He blinked. "I can't explain it. But we need to go, it's not safe here."

Koen nodded and started to pack up the bedding. He put his long knife it its sheath on his back and stuck a dagger in each of his boots. He gave Rune a knife also, which Rune then placed in his belt. Rune packed up their food and pots and placed them on his mare, then he put out their fire and scattered dirt on it.

They both mounted. "Where can we go where it will be safe?" Koen asked.

Rune shook his head. "There is only one place we can go that is safe. The garden. We can't stop until we get there." He urged his horse into a gallop and Koen's steed followed after quickly.

Umaso's World (The Garden)

The young blue haired boy opened his eyes. He had just sent a message to his charge, his, replacement. Rune's old master was coming for them. Sayyid's men had recently found Amissa's body. Mangled, torn and crushed. The poor boy was dead.

Umaso shook his head. Things were looking down for Rune and his companion. Sayyid's men were between the two travelers and their safety in his garden.

Koen. The name sounded familiar. The man himself was interesting; he held power within him that rivaled even Umaso's own. Perhaps he was the one? He had to be, there was no one else that could help, his power was dying. He would not be able to help Rune when the time came.

A spark of energy flitted about his neck and head. He turned to look behind him. "Genni?" He wondered. "What are-"The energy died. In its place sat a pile of limbs. Umaso's eyes narrowed in confusion then widened in recognition. "Digidestined…" He whispered.

Davis poked his head out of the mass of limbs. He couldn't feel his right leg; he figured it was somewhere underneath Yolie and between Tk and Cody. He stared at the boy a little younger than himself with long blue hair and eyes. "Are you the guardian here?" He asked.

Umaso nodded dumbly. "Yes."

Davis tried to jump out of the pile when he realized it was impossible. Umaso realized the dilemma and smiled while directing. The brown haired boy needs to pull his leg out, slowly, yes, good, now the violet headed girl, twist a little this way, no, THIS way, good. Alright, goggle boy, lift your leg, yes, like that, good now jump out. Now, blonde boy stand, careful of the girls hands, don't step on them. Good. Now be a gentleman and help her up.

The Digidestined looked at each other, when was the last time they had gotten out of the pile so well without injury?

"Thanks, I'm Davis." He grabbed and shook Umaso's pale hand. "We're here for a friend; our world is in major trouble without him…" He explained.

Umaso nodded. "I am Umaso. I already know who you want; he is on his way as we speak." He walked to a small pond in the ground. "You can see him here, it's a little blurry though, my powers aren't what they used to be."

Davis looked into the pond and saw two dark haired beings riding horses. It was dark and one of them had glowing white eyes. The other had a bluish light around him.

"Neither of them looks like Ken." He said.

The others came and looked into the pool. "You're right for once Davis…" She said with a mock awed voice.

"No, the one with the long hair," Kari pointed. "It's him, it's his face." He said.

Davis looked closer, and then his eyes shot wide open. "You're right!! That's him!" He turned to Umaso. "Who is he with!?" He asked.

"A friend."

Davis looked annoyed at the clipped answer. He glared at the young guardian.

Umaso shrugged and said, "You'll find out soon enough…"

"Who's behind them?"

**Rune and Koen**

Rune shivered and urged his mount to a faster pace. Koen's stallion was faster than his mare by a long shot, but she seemed to be keeping up alright. Maybe it was the fear she felt in her master. Or maybe she was frightened herself. She wasn't a colt; she was weathered but not old. She was healthy.

Koen couldn't see more than a few feet in front of him, he knew, even though Rune was a hybrid he wasn't faring much better. They let the horses lead. They trusted the animals to take them away from the pursuers.

Rune shuddered when he heard the shout from behind them. The men behind them weren't friendly, they brandished glinting daggers and one even shot at them until he had run out of arrows.

The scenery was beginning to look familiar. The small quaint town was sleeping when it was rudely awakened by the shouting of the men chasing them. Rune urged the mare faster. He knew her feet were bleeding, they he would have to care for her once he got to the gardens. She was in survival mode. She wouldn't stop until she was safe.

Ahead! There was the arch with the pathetic branches and bushes around them. Only now did it occur to Rune. How would Koen survive in the gardens? Amissa had made it clear that only animals and hybrids could go in and be safe. How long until the gasses in the air made it impossible for Koen to breathe? Would he last long enough for their pursuers to lose patients and leave? Would it be instant?

Rune chanced a look over his shoulder. The men's faces were barely lit by the moon. Their faces were enraged, demonic and rabid. They wouldn't hesitate to kill Koen or himself. It would be better for Koen to face the unknown mercy of the garden than to be killed outright.

He wheeled his mount to the right. "Over here!" Rune shouted to Koen.

Koen nodded and followed. Rune and his mare flew through the gate to the magic gardens. Rune reined in his horse and waited for a second for Koen to come through.

In a flash of light and sound Koen sped through the gates and stopped by the other male. "We're safe?" He asked breathlessly.

Suddenly their pursuers rampaged through the gates. Their mounts legs were bleeding and they were foaming at their mouths. Both rider and horse were exhausted and insane.

Rune and Koen backed up. Their bodies were tight, ready to bolt at any given second. Then it happened.

The men choked on their breaths. They gasped inhumanly and tore at their throats. They gurgled deep in their throats and one's nose and mouth started to bleed. Their paces paled and they trembled.

Rune whimpered. He slowly got off his horse and walked to the men. "Meda! What do you think you're doing!?" Koen called from behind.

Rune gulped down some air and pulled one of the struggling men up. He half carried half dragged the man to the edge of the gate and pushed him out. Then he went back and did the same for the other man. He urged their horses out and then walked back to Koen who stared wide eyed at the young mans actions.

"What?" He's face betrayed his confusion. "Why did you do that? They could come back and kill you…"

Rune nodded. "I know they will." He sadly unsaddled his horse and gently led her to a stream. He cleaned off her sweat covered body and washed the wounds in her hooves and legs. Koen joined Rune in the water and did the same to his prized mount.

"I cant help that. It just happens; I'm kindness after all…" He whispered.

"What?" Koen asked his earlier confusion coming back.

"You'll find out, when we reach him…" Rune trailed off. Was he really kindness? His life as Ken the Digidestined seemed so far away. Like a dream, a good dream.

A few hours later the pair was found eating fruit and bread and laying down for rest. "We should be fine in here. I don't think anyone will come in here after what happened to those other men." Rune explained.

"We'll still have a while to go tomorrow. But if things go right them we should get to him by noon, or a little after." Rune looked to Koen and smiled. The older man was sleeping.

Rune scrunched his face in thought. How was Koen breathing here? Did he have hybrid blood in him?

Rune sighed irritably and curled up in his blankets. Those thoughts could wait for morning.

**Umaso and the Digidestined**

The next day, (although it didn't seem like it to the Digidestined) came quickly and they watched through the pool as the two travelers got up, broke fast, and left their camp.

They watched as Koen marveled at the beauty of the gardens and how Rune explained all he knew about its workings, even mentioning the fact that humans couldn't breathe in the gardens. Koen and Rune both brainstormed what the new revelation could mean. After all, Koen explained, He was human in every way.

And so the hours past, and the two got into the dead parts of the garden. Then the foliage became so scarce, that not even a dried broken twig was in sight.

Soon the horses and their riders were panting. The water was used up and the noontime sun was scorching over head.

"How long 'til they get here?" Davis asked in a worried tone.

"They aren't close enough." Umaso said.

"Well how many more hours? It doesn't seem like they will make it. Maybe we can go to them? Meet them half way?" Cody reasoned.

Umaso shook his head. "No, they can't get to us, maybe if I was a bit stronger, we could but…" He paused. "They aren't close enough to death to see me."

The Digidestined blanched. "What do you mean?"

"Its only when the body is so weak that it has no hope of control when it lets anything happen to it."

Davis seemed to be the representation of the group when he said "Huh?"

Umaso sighed and rolled his eyes. "I do not have the energy to take a resisting body to this dimension. One that is near dead can be taken from a world with little fuss, and then healed, all with a minimum used of power. I can not afford to waste energy in this time of need…"

The group watched as the exhausted pair and their mounts stumbled and tripped, dieing of thirst.

**Rune**

"uhn…" Rune whimpered and he slid off of his horse.

"Meda…" Koen got off his horse and stumbled over to the smaller boy. Rune looked up to Koen's face.

"If wont be long now…" He whispered.

Koen shook his head. "you have been saying this for a while now. We are lost in this wasteland. We should try to find out way back to the good parts of the garden. Then after we are rested we can re gain our bearings and search again."

Rune shook his head. His chapped lips parted and he gasped. "We are both too weak to go back. We wouldn't make it." He closed his eyes. "it wont be long for me now…."

Koen's eyes widened as Runes body disintegrated before him. Rune became transparent, then lighter than a feather. Then he disappeared all together. Rune's mare took off at lightning speed and his stallion followed.

Koen laid down on the sand and ran his hands through it. His skin was burnt and tight and his throat burned horribly. He roller over and shut his eyes. He prayed that whatever had taken Rune would also liberate him.

He didn't even feel it as his body grew transparent and he disappeared.

A/N

Ok, this chapter was supposed to have a lot more stuff in it but I was told I am moving a bit fast. So Ken (Rune) will find out his destiny in the next chapter. So hold on to your seats readers! It doesn't slow down after this!

TO Beth,

Getting an account isn't something anyone can make you do. I have been at sense I was 11. I didn't plan on writing when I got an account. I just wanted some privacy. Getting an account means your reply's from me won't be out in the open like this. It also means you won't have to check my story every day to see if it was updated. (I am very thankful for such a loyal fan though!) The update just gets sent to your E mail. Plus you can review other stories that you wouldn't have been able to before. Getting an account is free. So you have nothing to lose.

Whatever you choose thank you for your reviews!

-Rumor

p.s. Corrective criticism is adored around here! I want to become a better writer.


	13. Chapter 13

Hey Guys! Another update!! I'm so hyper! I got a frappe mix for Valentines Day. And I've a huge glass of it next to me. It's so good! People! Go out and buy Tastefully Simple's Carmel crème latte mix! Oh! And for dip, the best ever is…Fiesta dip!!! Yum!!! makes uber happy face man I love that stuff! (I do not own Tastefully Simple…)

Oh, one more thing before the story…my Pen name… Rumorunderoath, does it sound like a boy or a girl name? I'm just curious as to what you think…tell me in a review! On to the story! ( Readers say: Finally!)

**Chapter 13**

Davis watched in awe as his friend materialized in front of them. His skin was no longer red and peeling from the sun, but ivory and healthy once more.

Davis turned to Umaso as Kens companion also appeared in a healthy condition. "Did you do this?" He asked.

Umaso nodded, his white face turning a pale grey. The young man seemed to look more and more drawn and tired. "I did."

"Are you alright…?" Kari questioned.

The boy nodded again and watched with narrow eyes as Koen and Ken regained consciousness.

Ken's eyes opened "Where am…" He let the question hang when he saw the Digidestined. "You! How!?" He sat up quickly and his eyes rolled as he felt the dizzying sensations. He pressed a hand to his fore head. "How did you get here?" he asked through gritted teeth.

Davis leaned down to his friend. "We came with the help of Kari and Genni. We're here to take you home, but…" He trailed off and looked at Umaso. "He," he jerked his thumb to the smaller boy. "Says we can't leave until you fulfill your destiny?"

Ken nodded when he felt he could do so without passing out. "That's what I'm here to find out. What is my destiny? What is my real name?"

Koen's eyes started to open. He was surrounded by two worried girls and a young boy. The girl with short brown hair had her hand on his forehead. Checking his temperature no doubt.

"Sit down." The command was simple. No one disobeyed.

"RuneKaimi. Ken. Andromeda these are all names you have taken in these worlds." Umaso stated.

Rune nodded so Umaso continued. "I will tell you now, all of these names are yours. You took them, you have ownership of them."

Rune was about to protest but Umaso started again. "Among them," He motioned to the Digidestined. "You are Ken, this will never change. To Him," He pointed to the still recovering Koen. "You are Andromeda. To the man who beat you and hurt you, RuneKaimi, but, to those who you will help, to those who you will hate and vice versa, you are Secret Seeker."

Runes eyes widened slightly. "That's what you yell in my dreams. Why am I called that? Why is this of importance with my destiny?"

"You're life is no longer your own to do with as you please. You have countless worlds depending on you. The ones in the greatest danger you already know. The human world, where your friends and family live. The Digital world, the place you once tried to destroy, and this world, where so many need you now." He took Rune by the hand and led him to the seeing pool.

"Look and see what had already happened, I could not show you in your dreams…" Umaso whispered in a strained voice. "Your body…"

Rune held in a gasp, there lying on a bed with two of the older Digidestined watching him was Ken. Him. "What is this." Runes hands were shaking.

Kens body began to shake and trembled and a long cut slit across his face. The older boys in the room with his body held towels to it. Rune felt a sting on his face, right across his left eye. He held his hand to it and pulled it away wet. Blood, there was blood on his face. The pain there was worse now.

He looked at Umaso with a panicked look. "You are now awake of your body. Time is very limited, you will now feel and know everything that happens to that body until everything is solved.

Umaso tore a bit at his long loin cloth and wrapped Runes head. People are dieing in the worlds, do you see?"

Ken looked back at the pool and saw that the image had changed. Now there was a long tear in the earth, buildings were being swallowed, Rune could hear the screams of the pained and dieing. The Image changed again, this on no less gruesome. It was the digital world. A village of digimon was flattened by an earth quake, then sucked into the earth via a crack in its crust.

Ken closed his eyes and looked away. "I don't want to see anymore." He whispered brokenly.

Umaso grabbed Rune's chin and forced him to look back. "There is more." He whispered urgently.

Rune hesitantly looked back down. He saw Koen's home being engulfed in flames and people screamed as they fell into the deep pit and when there flesh was scorched by the fire.

Tears whipped down his face as he struggled to keep his eyes open. "Why are you showing me this? There is nothing I can do…" he whispered.

Umaso pulled Rune away from the pool and sat him down. Then He kneeled in front of the stiff backed boy.

He took the hybrid's hands and rubbed the warmth back into them. "Little brother…only you have the power to heal these worlds. Only you can save them now…not me, my time is closing once again. They cant," He motioned to the Digidestined and Koen. "They do not have your gift. Its up to you, all we can do is help you where we can and keep you on the correct course.

"Sam…?" Rune asked quietly, his red rimmed eyes flickering with hope.

Umaso smiled. "Sam." He nodded. Sam took hold of Runes hands and pulled him back to a standing position. He looked the now taller now in the eyes and hugged his younger brother close. He whispered into his ear. "I'm dieing again Ken, this time, you will not see me again."

Runes eyes widened and he jerked away. "What do you mean!?" He sobbed.

The Digidestined watched in odd fascination at the events, they felt helpless for Ken as he cried and screamed at Umaso. Davis narrowed his eyes and then recognized Umaso from one of Ken's pictures in his room. "It's Sam!" He cried out.

Sam walked closer to the weeping form in front of him. "Ken, it can't be helped, I only had a little time left, I'm sorry to force you to do this," He kneeled again, "You have always been stronger, and kinder than I have, I was a fool to thing I could do this. You hold both of our fates in your hands now. What will you do Ken?"

"I could send you home to mother and father for a short time, but then the human world will collapse, you would only have a few days together, if even that…"

Rune shook his head. "What do I have to do…?" He asked in a resigned tone.

"There is a power locked away, you need to find three keys to open it. That power will give you the ability to heal worlds. You will find the first in the dark ocean, the second in the human world, and the last in this world, outside the gardens and my home."

Rune nodded. "How do I get there?"

"With your own power, you have plenty, you can take the Digidestined with you." And as an after thought he added. "And bring Koen. There is something about him…"

"Just imagine where you want to go and then imagine yourself and your friends with you."

Rune nodded again and closed his eyes tightly. The dark ocean, it was one of his worst fears, now he went there willingly? Funny how life could be so ironic.

Ken felt an odd pulling inside of him; it was like going on a roller coaster alone and having his eyes closed. His stomach did flip-flops within and his heart felt like it was riding up and down his throat. He felt wind whip his hair and clothing everywhere.

Then it stopped, and he felt a deceptively calm breeze embrace him. He felt a little bit of the dark sea splash on his face. He opened his eyes and gasped. There in the middle of the ocean was Ken. A little Ken, The digimon Kaiser Ken, and the older him, the one that was lying comatose with Tai and Matt.

In all of their hands there was a key. The young boy held a small silver key; it was engraved in swirling designs and little gems, His innocents. The Kaiser held an even smaller key. This one was pitch black with an evil purple aura around it. There were little cracks were the violet light shone out of it, His sin. Then in the lifeless arm of his sleeping body was a huge grey key, it was attached to his body with chains. The heavy stone key was dragging his body under the tide. It was his guilt.

Rune reached for the child's key and he saw as it passed into his hand that it turned a grey color, the swirls lost some of their light and the gems forgot some of their luster. The child spoke.

"My key you can never restore to its glory, but you need it. It will remind you of all that is good in the world. It will help you remember what it felt like to be innocent and pure, it will tell you to be good."

The child sunk into the ocean never to be seen again.

Next he reached for the Kaisers key. His sin, his past. The Kaiser threw it at Runes and smirked when Rune didn't fumble with the catch. He spoke.

"I'm your past and you are ashamed of me. But you can't be rid of me can you." The Kaiser gestured to the heavy ring his last counterpart held. "You guilt is overwhelming you." The Kaiser pried the heavy key from the cold fingers of Runes sleeping self and took back the black key from Rune.

He held them both out to his sides. The key of guilt didn't even faze him in its weight. "These keys are holding you back." He lifted the black one higher. "By not accepting this key, you are slowed by this one." He shook the key of guilt in Rune's face. "You can't run and be free with this tangling in your legs or weighing you down. You will lose the race as long as you carry this key. This key of guilt will kill you."

Kaiser went on. "But the key you hold in your hand, the key of innocents is no longer a powerful force in your life. It needs to be completed. Your past," he held the dark key. "Or your guilt." You have only two choices, you must accept one and let go of the other, they are too heavy for you to carry together."

"Make your choice Ken."

Rune held out his hand. His fingers trembled horribly, and he stopped in front of them both.

This wasn't really a test of physical strength. He could carry them if he needed too, but his mind and his spirit we weak, they had been exhausted by carrying the guilt of his past sins, sins that had already been forgiven.

Rune shut his eyes and grabbed the black key from the Kaiser. He opened his eyes and stared at his counterpart. "Thanks." He whispered as The Kaiser dropped the key and faded into the waves of the ocean.

The keys began to form cracks of light and grew hot. White hot.

Rune screamed and dropped the keys into the water which hissed in protest when the keys hit the surface.

Then a light came up from the water and floated before the boy. It slowly dimmed as he held out his hand. The light stopped and in its place was one key that bore the marks of both the key of innocents and the key of his past.

Rune sighed and turned back to shore. The Digidestined watched with wide eyes as Rune waded back to them.

Rune smiled and held up a key. There was something different about him. His eyes had changed from white to blue. And these blue eyes no longer looked haunted by invisible ghosts.

"We need to go to the human world…"

A/N so here is the next chapter, I was done yesterday, but eh, I wanted to tweak it a little. I've looked back on my first chapters and I have decided that I hate them with a passion. The format, grammar and spelling suck. I will re-do them once I have this 'rough draft' finished. I'm also thinking about doing another story once this is finished, it stars our favorite Ken, but it has a more futuristic theme.

Ken: anyway, Review!!


	14. Chapter 14

Hey everyone, thanks again for the reviews. Especially Beth, I can't answer all of your questions because it would take waaaay to much room. (and it would kill some of the surprises.) But know this. Ryo is NOT in this story; he should be in the sequel. (But the sequel is not yet planned out so don't be all freaking about it right now.)

Also to Beth: thank you for the heads up on some of the spelling errors. I fixed them and re-uploaded chapter 13. Please keep in mind that this story is only in its first draft form. I will re-do all the chapters and re upload them all, WITHOUT the spelling and grammar errors. (Hopefully.)

I have been a little down with the story lately, not wanting to write as much, so please forgive me if the chapters are a little late! Now, on to the story!!!!

**Chapter 14**

"… We need to get to the human world."

The Digidestined nodded and turned, walking toward the dark haired boy. "You need to take us back." Kari said. "I don't have the energy to do it, and Genni," She turned for a moment. "Genni won't help us anymore."

"What do you mean…?" Yolie asked in a low tone.

"When I went through, he looked terrible, so tired. I asked him if we would see him again, if he would be aright, He said no." Kari whimpered. "I don't think he's alive anymore.

The attention of the Digidestined turned from the key holder to the sobbing brunette. Yolie was holding her as she cried.

"We need to go." The Digidestined turned to the owner of the voice.

"Ken, cant we have a second! He was our friend! He was yours too, or have you forgotten that as well?!" Davis shouted, livid with anger.

Ken bent his head and his fingers writhed around the key. Then he looked up and stared at Davis with determination.

"We'll all have to do a lot more grieving for the people we love if we don't get going now! Genni's sacrifice will be in vain if we let the worlds fall apart!"

Ken stomped to his friends. "I miss him." He put a hand to his chest. "I feel his loss, its pulling at my chest, and it hurts." A tear escaped his eye. "I won't let his life be a waste. BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT IT WILL BE IF WE STOP! EVERYTHING WE'VE DONE UP TO THIS POINT WILL BE A WASTE IF IT ALL ENDS NOW!" Ken's eyes widened at his outburst and he turned his head. "We need to end this. Once and for all."

Ken shut his eyes and held a death grip over his first key. The key began to glow with a faint light, then the light grew to a blinding brightness. The Digidestined felt like they had no control over their bodies, like they couldn't move a finger even if they wanted to.

When they opened their eyes they were in the middle of a street in down town Tamachi. A car was blaring its horn at the group as it slammed on the breaks.

The Digidestined rushed out of the way of the car. When they were safely on the sidewalk they looked at all the traffic streaming out of the city.

"Where are they all off to in such a hurry…" Davis wondered out loud.

"More like what are they running from?" TK spoke.

Ken nodded and then noticed that his hair was still long and black. He was still in Runes form. He reached up and found they patch of fur covering the cartilage of his feline ears.

"Where will we find the next key?" Yolie asked.

Ken pointed. "We'll find it in the direction everyone is running from."

The rest of the kids nodded and they started to run against the grain of cars, bikes and people running from the center of the city.

Ken started to notice familiar landmarks. A small park here, a favorite restaurant there, even stores that he frequented.

"We're going to my home…" He realized. As they got closer and closer to Kens apartment the scenery got worse and worse. Windows were cracked and cement roads and sidewalks were uprooted. Trees were fallen all over and some even landed on power lines.

Now tremors rocked the earth making the going even harder and excruciatingly slow. Every time the earth shook he could feel a horrible ache somewhere in his body.

"Ah!" Ken fell to his knees and clutched at his arm. He pulled up a sleeve and saw a long bruise forming. Eventually he knew it would break open, and when that happened another rip would be formed somewhere in this world or the other.

"Are you going to make it Ken?" Cody asked quietly.

Ken nodded and got onto his feet. "You can't come any farther with me. I need to go alone. The world around here is crumbling, when that happens there needs to be at least a few Digidestined left to defend whatever will be left in the world.

"We should stick together Ken." Davis' voice was filled with conviction.

"No" Ken shook his head. "Make sure your families are safe, then I will meet you back in the Digital world in two hours. If I'm not there," he paused, "then you need to go back to Umaso, maybe he will know another way to heal the worlds…Maybe he will still have some strength left for it."

Then Ken turned and with all of the strength he could muster he took off in the direction of his house.

The Digidestined turned to each other. "He'll make it back. He's beat everything that life's thrown at him. He'll whoop this one too."

**Kens Apartment complex**

Ken gasped as he rounded a corner. His arm was starting to bleed, and the ground was shaking.

"Not now, not yet!" He pounded forward and screamed as the ground twisted and groaned beneath his feet.

He pushed his legs to go faster as he saw what should have been the tip of this home.

"Oh no…" He gasped. "No no no…" He shook his head violently. "It can't…"

The entire block that his home sat on was split open and distorted. As it was half of his apartment complex was collapsed in, the other half was no where in sight.

He ran to the wreckage, slipping over upturned cement and cars.

He took a deep breath and crawled over a thin bridge of metal that crossed a long, deep gap.

Once across he picked up the pace to what remained of his home. While avoiding falling debris and other hazardous things he slowly made his way up the unstable steps to the third floor.

He ran down the hallway that his door was located on; the hallway was tilted so he had to kick the door open. "Mom! Dad! I'm here! Are you alright?!" He called. Nothing answered and his heart sank. "Momma! Dad! Please!! Answer me!" He whimpered and walked further into the room.

The roof was caved in, in many places. The water pipes were broken and spewing spoilt and fresh water into the room. It smelled rancid and Ken had to cover his nose and mouth.

He walked into his parent's bedroom and had to bite his hand to keep from screaming. Underneath and pile of wreckage was the upper half of his mothers body.

He ran up to it and cupped her head in his lap. "Mom…Momma?" He whispered brokenly.

He rubbed her hair gently and felt to her neck for a sign on life. "Ken…?" The woman's lips parted in a breathy whisper. "Is that you babe?" She rasped again.

He face was cut and blood stained and there was old evidence of tears. Her eyes were only half lidded and one was almost swollen shut. Ken could barely look.

"I'm here Momma…"

"Ken, your father, he didn't make it…" Ken sobbed and put his face closer to hers and kissed her forehead.

"Now I have to leave you as well. I'm going to see your father very soon." A small trace of a smile was on her face. She looked peaceful.

"Ken…" She continued, her voice growing weaker and weaker by the minute. "Reach around my neck." He did so and pulled out a long gold chain with a red gold key on the end. "I found this at the house a few days after you were born. I knew it would help you one day. Put it on."

He did so with trebling hands.

"It's a mothers love…it says so right on it. She ran her good hand over it one last time and then cupped her sons face.

"I love you child…" She coughed and red flecks were on her lips. "You need to be strong now, go on without us…you father, your brother and I, we'll all be watching from heaven to cheer you on…"

Ken felt her body go slack in his arms and he screamed.

A/N

That was really hard to write. I don't like it when people die in stories, and here I've already killed off 3. I think this is my favorite key. The key of love, it suits them doesn't it? I love that family!!

So yea, more action less sad stuff in the next chapter, but it might be late. IM SICK AS A DOG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I hurt all over. I think I caught the flu! It sucks bricks. But I know a way to make me feel better! Reviews!!! Please and thank you!!! –Rumor.


	15. Chapter 15

Hey all! Lonely without me? XD sorry, ill shut up now. Wells, I'm still sick. It sounds like my lungs are dieing each time I cough. (It scares my mom…?) Easter Sunday and spring break my family (and my bestest bud!) ((yes…I know bestest isn't a word….XP)) are going on VACATION! That means I WILL HAVE NO INTERNET. There won't be an update that week I think….But maybe I will be able to get my dad to bring along his lap-top so I can do some typing…

Chapter 15

(In the Digital world)

"He's not here yet…"

Davis had been pacing next to the bed with Ken's body for the last ten minutes. 

"He has time Davis…He'll make it." Kari stated while leaning against the wall with TK.

"Ten minutes isn't a lot of time." Tai said. 

"Well, it might take more time than two hours to find the key." Cody said from his place on the floor between TK and Kari's feet. 

"Uhnn…" 

The Digidestined turned to the figure on the table. "Ken…?" Davis asked quietly. 

There was no answer beyond the soft breathing. Davis waved his hand over Ken's face. "He's still out…" 

Ken whimpered again. 

"Well, what the heck Ken, are you awake or aren't you…" Ken's face scrunched up in pain and he moaned again. 

"This is the most noise he's made sense you've been gone…" Matt said from beside Tai. 

"Oh, dang…." Davis whispered from looking over Ken's form. 

"What is it? Davis!" Kari called, getting off the wall to walk to the goggle garbed boy. 

"Look…" He said and pointed to Ken's chest. "Another one…" 

The sheet was stained with red as another tear formed on Ken's chest. 

The ground started to shake.

(Human world) 

Ken looked up with a tear stained face. "It hurts…." He slowly pulled away from his now cold mother and rubbed his chest. His fingers came away red and sticky. 

He pulled back his shirt in a hurry and saw the long red welt on his chest pulling open. "Why is it happening to this body too…?" He whispered. 

The world exploded into sound when the ground shifted under his feet. It sounded like nails being dragged across a black board, or a multiple car pileup. The supports in the building creaked and groaned pathetically, signaling that they were on their last legs. 

"I need to go Mama…" He whispered into the woman's ear. "I love you." His voice cracked and he squeezed his eyes shut to battle against the tears that tried to fall. The ground shook harder and he heard metal snapping in the back ground. "I need to go." He stood up as best he could and stumbled to the door. "Good bye." 

Ken held the railing for dear life as the ground continued to shake beneath his body. He slowly crawled to the bottom floor. 

Once outside in the open air he breathed a sigh of relief. "How long do I have…" He wondered to himself as he hobbled over the shifting earth. 

A loud crack like thunder surrounded him. He covered his ears as the sound threatened to burst his ear drums. He pried his eyes open to see the ground tearing and swallowing the last of his apartment never to return. 

"Take care of them…" He whispered.

The loud noise started again and he covered his eyes. "Now where!" He thought. Then he saw.

The ground where his home had once been was cracking outwards in all directions. One such crack was headed in his direction. He watched as cars and trees that were already junked get gobbled up by the insatiable earth. 

Ken quickly turned and tripped over his own feet in his hurry to get away from the line that swallowed without prejudice. 

He looked back quickly before deciding that it wasn't a good idea and He jumped back up. He quickly looked around for somewhere that wouldn't be completely destroyed once the giant split had done its work. 

There. A bank. Well, what was left of one. It was sturdy and had stood through wars and bombs. Very old, and now broken in many places, it looked to be the safest place. 

Ken forced the first doors open and then slipped through. The floors that were once polished were now covered in dust and pieces of the ceiling plaster. The painting that used to imitate one of the great works was now in shambles. Chairs were overturned and the safe was open. No doubt someone thought it was the end of the world and wanted a little spending money for the afterlife. 

He felt the ground move again and ran to the safe. There had to me a meaning for its name right?

He went in to the room size safe and closed the door so it was only open a crack. He felt the world shake and things fell out of drawers. Gold and jewels, someone's life savings? Notes and legal documents, deeds to homes that were probably destroyed now, all of these things mixed together, they were all equal in this little room. Everything could be swallowed by the mouth of the earth, even Ken. 

He shivered as the shaking stopped and the deafening sound ceased. Was this what death sounded like? 

He got up from the floor and dusted his body off, taking special care to not irritate the tear in his skin on his chest. 

He pushed the door open and squeezed through. The bank looked even more desolate then when he had first entered. The tables were overturned and glass was broken on the floor. The lights were broken and dead, most of the corners of the room were the color of midnight. 

He picked his way over the broken articles of furniture and glass. He saw that some of the cash registers had been destroyed and were spewing change and yen. He turned from them; he had to find the way out. He was late. 

There.

The door was cockeyed on its hinges, but was sturdy and still solid. He pushed and kicked the doors until he noticed the sign that through the soot and dust said 'pull.'

"Brilliant." He said aloud. He pulled the door and it opened with very little resistance. It squeaked loudly and a cloud of dust puffed in his face. After wiping his eyes of the dust he looked out the door. 

"NO…" His eyes widened despite the threat of dust getting into his eyes. 

"A cave…how did…" Then it dawned on him. He was eaten; the world had swallowed him whole. And he had survived to know it. 

He jumped out of the door and crawled slowly across the jagged rocks that jutted up from the floor. He looked up to the ceiling, hoping to see light. 

There were little holes in the ceiling, but they looked to be over fifty feet high. The holes were so small; there was no way he would get out through them. 

Would the humans come and find him? Would they dig to find the bodies of their fallen comrades? Would he be found and saved from this death pit. 

No, why would they look for those already supposed dead when there were others on the surface that also needed help. They were easier to reach, and easier to help. By saving the ones on the surface the rescuers could ease the guilt of not saving the ones buried underneath. And, as he knew, they would have many more problems in the near future. No one was going to survive. 

He shuddered and sat down on a flat rock. He pulled his legs up to his chest. "So now what…" He wondered aloud. 

After sitting for what felt like ages (although he really had no idea because he had no way to tell time.) He stood and brushed off the back of his robes. He walked back into the bank and looked around. 

"Maybe I should indulge in one of Davis' fantasy's…That way when I see him in the afterlife I can tell him." Ken smirked at the thought of falling asleep in a pile of money. However the part with him not waking up wasn't something he enjoyed. 

He walked into the safe again and sifted his hands through the cash. He watched the small pieces of metal fell from his hand to the floor. He lifted his eyes to the far wall and noticed something behind the lockers. It looked like a small door, no, not even a door, like a passage way, or a cubby hole.

He stood and pushed with all of his might to get the locked to shift to the side. They Screeched and moved an inch. "This isn't going to work…" He thought for a moment while studying the lockers. 

He smiled when an idea came to him. He climbed to the top of the lockers and braced his feet on them while pushing against the wall. The lockers began to sway. Then a thought came to him. It was going to hurt once it fell. 

He didn't have time to counter act this thought though for the lockers stole the moment and fell with a huge crash.

Ken moaned when he landed on his back half on and half off the bottom of the lockers. "I thought cats always landed on their feet…" He murmured. 

He quickly turned his head and looked into the small passage. He climbed into it and crawled along until he came to another room. "How did…" Ken didn't finish the sentence, for in the corner was a key hole. The only thing that decorated the room called out to Ken. He picked at the keys that now hung around his neck from the chain that his mother had given him. 

He quickly crawled to it, (because the ceiling was only a few feet high.) He pulled out his keys and carefully looked at them. "It's this one…" He whispered. The red gold on the key matched the key hole and the engravings that surrounded it. He slipped it into the key and felt his body shift. 

He moaned when for (what it felt like) the millionth time he landed hard on the ground. 

"Ken?" Someone asked from behind him.

XxXx

A/N

Ok, so, it's not a cliffhanger, but this was still an ok chapter right? I had a lot of fun writing it! XD once again, I don't know if I will get another chapter out before I leave for vacation, so it might be a while before the next update. BUT I WILL NOT BE LAZY! I will do some writing. 

P.S. is anyone willing to Beta what I have done already? And also all of the future chapters?


	16. Chapter 16

Hey everyone

Hey everyone! (Don't I always start out that way…?!) It has most likely been a couple of weeks, but eh, I probably had fun. (Right now I am still at home, but I don't think that I will update until I get home…?) Anyways, thanks to all the reviewers! I love you! Oh and Beth, Thank you! huggles you always critique my work, and you do it well. To bad you aren't official. sighs on with the story! XD

XxXx

**Chapter 16**

"Ken…?" Someone asked from behind him.

Ken moaned and saw only black, then he opened his eyes. "Ken!" Someone shouted again. This time it didn't sound like it was behind him, now it sounded like it was beside him.

He turned his head, and to his surprise he saw his tanned goggle wearing team mate. "Davis?" He asked in confusion.

"He's awake guys!" Davis called to the others in the room.

Ken looked around and noted that they were inside Genni's home. He was lying on a bed and was covered by only sheets.

"What just happened?" he asked.

Yolie came up next to him and brushed his indigo hair from his face and eyes. "It was weird," she started, "Your body was shaking and then all of a sudden you jolted in the bed, and now you're awake." She finished.

"I thought I was falling through space and just landed on the hard ground." Ken whispered hoarsely.

"You're in your Ken body now, not your RuneKaimi one, so maybe you just landed in your body instead of the ground…?" TK thought aloud.

"So the portal led to my body…" Ken mumbled. "That could be useful in the future…"

"What did you say Ken?" Davis asked in an obnoxiously loud voice.

"Why are you still here…Its been over two hours hasn't it?" Ken asked, ignoring the question.

"We were going to try to find a way to get to Umaso, but we still haven't figured anything out. Now that you're here it shouldn't be a problem though right?" Yolie asked.

Ken nodded "We need to go to the dark ocean. Then I can take us through the door to Umaso."

The others blanched.

"Do we really need to go there? Isn't there another way to go?" Kari asked, not quite recovered from her last visit there.

"No"

His word was final and the others left the room through the TV set.

Then Ken led them into a circle and they grasped each others hands. Ken felt a warmth inside his body and then he felt a pulling sensation behind his eyes. He distantly heard the crashing of waves, then quickly they got closer.

The group felt their feet hit the sand. It was a much gentler landing then before. Ken noticed. "I think I'm getting the hang of this." He thought.

They looked around and noticed the great cliffs behind them. They hurried to the side of the mountains that held the doors, Ken got there first. He noticed that the smaller door was sealed shut, its owner no longer living. He looked to the larger door; it was covered in chains in a cris-cross pattern. In the middle of the design there was a pad lock. It looked much to small to fit the door, and it was also 30 or so feet up.

By the time Ken was finished assessing the door and how to get up to the lock the others had arrived. "How are we going to get through?" Davis asked to no one in particular.

"Im going to climb up and un-lock the door, then we can all go through." Ken said.

Yolie looked about t o protest. After all, if her crush fell and died who would she fantasize about?

Kari stopped her with a look, as if she knew what her partner was thinking, and indeed, she might have.

"Go on."

Ken nodded and jumped up to the nearest chain. He pulled himself up quickly and then jumped to the next.

Ken shuddered. The chains were wet with the oceans dew and with age old rust. He tightened his grip as the chains slipped through his fingers. He heart jumped to a faster beat when it happened again. He kicked off his shoes and gripped the chains below with his toes.

As Ken slowly made his way up the Digidestined on the ground looked on with increasing fear. Each time Ken slipped they gasped and screamed and sweated.

"He's almost there…" TK whispered.

Ken sighed in relief when he finally reached the pad lock. He held on with one hand and, making sure his feet had a good grip, he reached into his shirt and grabbed his necklace. He produced the small black key. He shuddered at its coldness in his hand and placed it into the lock. He smiled as it fit snugly and he turned the key to the right.

He heard the 'pop' sound of the lock coming undone and smiled down at the other Digidestined. He gave them a 'thumbs up' sign and resigned to climb back down.

As he went he noticed that the chains were coming loose from their bindings. Soon the wouldn't support him. He climbed faster.

_**SHING**_

The chains next to Ken fell to the ground.

_**SHING**_

More chains.

Ken watched in horror as his chain slipped from its ring on the sides of the door.

Down he went. The other Digidestined saw him fall and it seemed like slow motion. Ken didn't even have time to scream.

His body was in a free-fall and Ken was sure that at any time he would hit the ground with a bone shattering crash. Then he felt hands on his body, they were gentle and they lifted him up.

Ken opened his eyes.

"Stingmon!" he shouted. "You're here!" Ken broke into a large grin and the digimon couldn't help but smile back, well, as much as he could.

"You didn't think we would just leave you alone!" He said and flew down to join the other Digidestined who were again reunited with their digimon.

Stingmon de-digivolved in Wormon and explained their absence. "There have been huge cracks opening in the digital world. Digimon are being sucked in. No matter how deep we fly into it, or dig into the ground, we can't find any survivors. All we've been able to do is evacuate the living digimon to safer places." He looked sadly at his partner. "But even those places wont be safe for long." He concluded.

Ken nodded. "We need to open this door and get back to Umaso, he's the only one who knows what to do."

The others agreed and they and the digimon pried open the door. As heavy as it was they could barely open it a crack. They all slipped through, but the digimon had to de-digivolve to fit.

They felt like they were spinning this time and Ken seemed to have no control of where they were going. The colors swirled around them and Ken reached out his hand. It felt like he could touch them. Just as he and the others were becoming entranced they heard a voice.

_**You're letting yourselves be taken.**_

_**You need to learn to control your powers little brother…**_

…_**or they shall control you, I can't help you anymore **_

_**Secret Seeker, my body is dieing with this world.**_

_**You will find your last key with the one you**_

_**Most fear….**_

_**Go to your master and confront you, then come back to me,**_

_**I love you little brother.**_

Ken felt his senses tug back as he hit the cool ground. By the grunting around him he knew his friends were suffering a similar fate. He looked up and saw the gate to the garden. Had Umaso, no, Sam put them there?

He looked the other way, the little village and there looming just beyond was Sayyid's castle.

"We need to go that way." He whispered.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

A/N

I'm so sorry this took so long (and it's a sorry chapter if I do say so myself…) But the digimon weren't with the Digidestined, and I was like, WTF?? 0o so I added them into the chapter.

And get this, dad brought his computer, but then I forgot to E mail myself what I had done so I had to re do it… cries


	17. Chapter 17

Mmkay everyone

Mmkay everyone! I ish back! Thanks again to Beth for pointing out my mistakes; I will get to fixing them. Also as for the question about Koen, you'll find out, he plays another very important part in this... Oh hey, I know no one really cares to read this part but, a random fact in my life right now. I have tendonitis. It hurts like crap…I'm so sorry this has taken so long to get out. I can't explain it; I just lost the drive to finish. I'm going to try to push myself to at least get this chapter finished. XP

XxXxXx

**Chapter 17**

Ken shivered; the world that he had almost grown to like while with Koen was being destroyed. There were no people in the village when they passed; everything was strewn around like a hoard of people had left in a hurry.

"Where is everyone…?" Davis asked. The question was on everyone's mind.

They continued on their way while trying to ignore the ringing sound of silence.

"We should have gone into the garden, you know, to find out what happened…" Yolie said with a slight shake in her voice.

"We can't, he already knows we're here…" Ken said and pointed ahead to the castle. A dark aura surrounded it. It twisted and moaned as if it had a life of its own.

"What is he…" Kari whispered in awe.

Ken set his jaw and continued to march forward with a determination. Absently though, his hands strayed to his barely healed scars. Could he fight a man with such power like Sayyid?

Suddenly a scream tore everyone out of their thoughts. Then another scream followed.

Kens eyes widened and he held back a whimper. "It's coming from Sayyid's castle…" _'It sounds familiar…' _

With this new information swimming in his head he picked up the pace and began to run toward the castle.

"Ken…It's dangerous up there…" Wormmon said from inside Ken's arms.

Ken closed his eyes and then looked up towards their distention. "That's why we need to go…" He whispered, more to himself than anyone else.

AS they neared the gate the digimon all seemed to shrink away from the gates. Ken was closest with Wormmon's digivolved form Stingmon next to him. The gates before everything happened weren't welcoming, but now they looked out right demonic. They were ruined and blackened, as though they had been set on fire, it had a dark red-purple glow that seemed to try to reach out to the chosen children.

Ken stepped forward and reached his hand out to the entrance of the gate. He shivered when it passed right through, but he could no longer see it. The castle was only a memory now, this gate led to somewhere else completely…but that place held his master…That place held Sayyid.

He shut his eyes and prepared to go through when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Davis and Wormmon behind him. They smiled encouragingly.

"We're right behind you man, every step of the way." Davis said.

Ken smiled back and turned to the gate. With renewed strength from his friends He pushed his hand through, and then his arm, and then the rest of his body. The Digidestined watched in awe and horror as Ken's entire body disappeared through the gate.

Wormmon quickly followed behind his beloved partner. Then Davis and Flamemon went in yelling a war cry. The remaining Digidestined looked at each other nervously. Then they smiled. All for one and one for all. They too ran into the unknown.

!!

Yolie groaned. Someone was on top of her. "Once, just once, I would like not to be on the bottom of these never ending piles…" She moaned.

"SHHhh!" Ken hissed.

They looked around, Ken, Davis and their digimon were the only ones upright, they were behind black rocks on hard dark grey and black gravel.

The sky was red with swirls of purple and black in it. There were screeches of animal. Weather they were being tormented or if they made that sound naturally they couldn't tell. Then another scream split the air, this one was unmistakably in agony.

Ken, without thinking ran out from their hiding place and got a better look around. The ground was a jagged path, only eight or so feet in width with sheer drops at either side. The cliffs seemed to end in black flames. Around him there were what appeared to be digimon. The evil kind, with beady eyes and dark intentions. He tried to get back down before he was seen, but he was too late and the hoard of monsters attacked with glee.

The other Digidestined didn't waste time. They jump up from their hiding places and began their own desperate fighting.

"KEN!"

Ken turned from where he was watching Stingmon put away a monster with black wings and the body of a bull. He saw Davis trying to gain his attention.

"What Davis!?" Ken shouted over the keens of the doomed animals.

"You need to get to Sayyid! It's the only way these are going to clear up! See!" He pointed to the sky where there was a deep purple and black concentration. The fell animals seemed to be coming out of it!

"They won't stop coming! You need to go! We'll cover you!" he shouted again.

Ken turned without a second thought and ran towards the castle, which looked remarkably the same, but it gave off much darker vibes.

He dodged a flying monster being put out of its misery, and jumped over more than a few injured creatures before he made it to the final gate. He pushed it open and ran down the corridor to where he knew his master would be. He heard another agonized scream and he re-doubled his pace.

He arrived at the hated doors that always seemed to lead to pain. He shut his eyes tight and tried to even his breathing before he slowly opened the door and looked in.

There, sitting on his throne was Sayyid. He held a whip in his hand that was blackened with blood.

And on the ground, moaning in pain, was Koen.

!!

AN

OK, wow. That took ages. I knew it would be a hard chapter to write, I don't know why, but it was FRICKEN TRUE!! It was awful! But necessary… XP

It's not my best, but I thought you guys deserved something! SOOOO there is only 3 more regular chapters and then there is an epilogue. I will be fixing and tweaking things this summer, and then I have a brand new story for next fall! I'm not sure, but I think it might be a sequel to this story, but then I don't know if I want to take a break from this plot bunny or not. My muse is exhausted…

Let me know what you think! (p.s. The edited version will be posted and will replace this story; it will most likely have fewer chapters because I will combine the shorter ones!)

Thank you for sticking with me! Now push the review button! Please? puppy eyes


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